An Alexandria man is facing nearly 200 criminal charges in connection with a series of thefts from vehicles parked outside fitness centers across Northern Virginia.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, Kumneger Ayalsew, 29, has been linked to several larcenies that appeared to target gym visitors in Fairfax and Falls Church City since April.
“Detectives determined Ayalsew stole wallets, credit cards, and other personal belongings from unlocked vehicles before quickly making fraudulent gift card purchases at nearby retailers, often before victims realized the thefts had occurred,” the FCPD said today (Monday) in a press release.
Detectives tied Ayalsew to at least six incidents in Fairfax County, including in Reston, Centreville and Tysons, using “surveillance footage, financial records, digital evidence and search warrants,” police said.
According to the FCPD, the “most recent” cases in Fairfax County were reported at:
- April 30: 5900 block of Trinity Parkway in Centreville
- May 1: 1700 block of Business Center Drive in Reston
- May 3: 8200 block of Greensboro Drive in Tysons
- June 22: Two different incidents in the 1700 block of Business Center Drive
- June 23: 5900 block of Trinity Parkway
The FCPD didn’t specify the businesses where the larcenies occurred, but Life Time Fitness has locations in those blocks of Trinity Parkway and Business Center Drive, and Onelife Fitness can be found on Greensboro Drive.
Arrested in Alexandria on June 26 by the FCPD with the help of the Alexandria and Falls Church City police departments, Ayalsew is facing 32 different charges for those six incidents, including nine counts each of credit card larceny and credit card fraud, four counts of vehicle trespassing, five counts of identity theft, two counts each of petit larceny and money laundering, and a count of obtaining money by false pretense.
Those charges came on top of more than 100 charges that police had previously filed “for similar crimes that previously occurred in Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church,” the FCPD said.
Online court records show that Ayalsew is facing charges in Fairfax County General District Court related to breaking into vehicles, petit larceny, credit card larceny, fraud and forgery, and identity theft for offenses dating back to Oct. 24, 2025.
He was previously arrested on Feb. 11 and April 14, but was released, respectively, on his own recognizance and on bail.
After the June 26 arrest, Ayalsew was released on July 14 from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on his own recognizance, but he is now in custody at the Arlington County Detention Center for charges filed by Falls Church police, the FCPD said.
Per online court records, Ayalsew is scheduled to appear in Fairfax County court for a motion hearing on the most recent charges this Thursday (July 23), followed by a preliminary hearing on Aug. 5.
Most of the nearly 200 charges against Ayalsew are for cases that occurred in Fairfax County, but police believe he likely committed similar crimes in neighboring jurisdictions, Criminal Investigations Division Commander Major James Curry said in a media briefing.
Additional charges might still be filed for the six most recent cases that started in April.
In its press release, the FCPD advised residents to reduce their risk of being targeted by vehicle thefts by:
- Take your valuables with you: Avoid leaving wallets, purses, credit cards, cash, electronics, or other valuables inside your vehicle.
- Lock your vehicle every time: Even during quick stops, lock all doors and fully close all windows.
- Plan ahead: If you must leave an item in your vehicle, secure it in the trunk before arriving at your destination so it is never visible.
In nearly all of the 22 cases tied so far to Ayalsew, the targeted individuals had left their vehicles unlocked, according to Curry, noting that gym customers might’ve seemed like appropriate victims since they tend to spend extended periods of time inside.
Curry said the police department is working closely with the commonwealth’s attorney’s office “to find and hold those accountable for these crimes.”
“We’re on the same page, where we identified someone who was continuing to harass our community, continuing to commit the same crimes,” he said. “We’re going to be glove in hand working together to make sure that the appropriate attention is given to him, the same attention he seems to be giving to all of our gym parking lots here.”
