TAMPA, Fla. — Two men are behind bars after police say they carried out a spree of auto thefts and vehicle burglaries across Tampa and Pinellas County, stealing vehicles, credit cards, and firearms.
The investigation began on June 22, 2025, when a Jeep Wrangler was stolen from The Seazen Apartments at 7616 Courtney Campbell Causeway. Days later, on June 27, an auto burglary occurred at the same complex, with the suspect stealing a wallet and credit cards, later used at a Publix near Gandy Blvd.
On July 7, Clearwater Police chased a Jeep believed to be involved in the crimes, but the suspect fled. The next day, Tampa Police recovered the stolen Jeep, now carrying a stolen license plate from another Jeep in Clearwater, in a Target parking garage on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Inside the vehicle, police found items linked to multiple vehicle burglaries in both Tampa and Clearwater.
Later that day, police located Joshua Connor Murdock, 30, and Aaron Alderman, 37, in a Hyundai Elantra with an unregistered plate outside a hotel on W. Spruce Street. The Hyundai was confirmed stolen, and officers moved in to detain the suspects.
Murdock violently resisted, striking an officer, and was found carrying methamphetamine and a stolen handgun. His distinct tattoos helped identify him on surveillance video using stolen credit cards from earlier burglaries.
Murdock faces an extensive list of charges, including:
Battery on a law enforcement officer
Resisting arrest with violence
Possession of firearms by a felon (2 counts)
Armed burglary (2 counts)
Grand theft auto (2 counts)
Burglary of unoccupied conveyance (5 counts)
Meth possession and paraphernalia
Multiple counts of credit card fraud
Alderman was charged with grand theft auto and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.
Police confirmed both suspects are charged in the Hyundai theft, while Murdock is also charged in connection to the Jeep Wrangler theft. Investigators are working to determine if they are responsible for additional break-ins.
