KELLY TOWNSHIP -- The Walmart store near Lewisburg is a busy place during the day but early in the morning, it is usually not as crowded. It was around 2:30 a.m. when state police say a man walked into the electronics department, smashed a glass case and stole more than $9,000 worth of cell phones. That's 39 iPhones.
Brian Delaney is a Technical Advisor for TCC Lewisburg, which is an authorized Verizon Wireless dealer. Delaney says all iPhones have an "IMEI number", which is the phone's serial number.
"Walmart would have to call up Verizon and say, 'hey, these were stolen and can they be put on the lost and stolen list?' This way somebody else wouldn't be able to use it," Delaney said.
If Walmart does not do this, anyone could buy and use the stolen phones.
"If they're not shown on a lost or stolen list, they could essentially be activated on pre-pay, on a Verizon plan or another carrier," Delaney said.
Cell phone retailers in the Lewisburg area tell Newswatch 16 they'll now be on high alert when people come in and bring in cell phones.
"We'll just double check it, try to help ensure their safety and their money if they bought it," Delaney said.
Newswatch 16 spoke with some people who say they would only buy cell phones from authorized dealers, not sites like eBay or Craigslist.
"You don't really know what the person has done to it or what condition it really is. I guess if you're getting it out of the back of someone's car, you can see it but I don't think you get an accurate picture of what the phone is like," Dan Manbeck said.
"If we're talking about computers or tablets or something like that, I would consider buying, but I want service with my phone, so I buy the service with the phone altogether," Luke Krell said.
State police believe the suspect drove away in a dark-colored Hyundai Sedan.
Originally state police told us 75 phones valued at $41,000, but Walmart corporate told us Friday afternoon it was actually $9,000 worth of phones.
Walmart did not tell us whether the store would be putting the phones on the lost or stolen list.