Masked armed robber’s fingerprints seal the deal on Vero Beach 2024 Burger King heist
An armed gunman connected to a 2024 robbery at a Vero Beach Burger King has been apprehended, thanks to a breakthrough lead in forensic evidence. Sederick Upton, 43, was arrested earlier this week after fingerprints recovered from stolen cell phones linked him to the crime. At the time of his arrest, Upton was already in custody at the Indian River County Jail for a separate robbery committed months earlier.
In the September 2024 robbery, a masked assailant armed with a handgun entered the Burger King on 58th Street and SR 60 in Vero Beach. The robber forced and locked two employees into a cooler, threatening their lives if they left. He then ransacked the registers, stealing both cash and the employees’ personal phones before fleeing the scene.
While locked inside the cooler, the employees managed to use a headset to discreetly signal a drive-thru customer, who immediately called 911. A K9 unit quickly recovered two of the stolen cell phones left behind at the scene. Forensic experts later lifted fingerprints from the devices, leading investigators straight to Upton.
Although already incarcerated in connection with a previous robbery at Mulligan’s Beach House Restaurant in Vero Beach in October 2024, Upton is now facing additional charges for the Burger King heist.
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The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office applauded their investigative team for their work in solving the case: “Our investigations team never quits. We work every day to ensure those who commit crimes are brought to justice.”
For more details on Upton’s previous arrest and the Mulligan’s Beach House robbery, read Ace News Today’s full report here: Mulligan’s Beach House in Vero Beach Robbed at Gunpoint.
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(Source and mugshot images: Indian River County Sheriff’s Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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