Cary Pokémon store burglary suspect appears in Wake County court

A smash-and-grab at Triangle Area Trading Cards rattled Cary’s collector scene, after thieves allegedly took about $45,000 in Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon cards from the Swift Creek Shopping Center shop and left owners Adam and Tara Reynolds watching the damage unfold in real time.

Adam Reynolds said he woke up to alarm notifications around 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, just as two masked people allegedly broke the storefront glass, one of them carrying a hammer. The cards and other items were reportedly loaded into two garbage bags in about five minutes. Reynolds said Cary police had already apprehended someone by the time he arrived, and the store stayed closed Tuesday while staff cleaned up and took inventory.

By Wednesday morning, the business had reopened to customers, but the emotional impact was still fresh. The Reynoldses said they watched the break-in live on their phone, turning what might have been a routine retail theft into a personal violation at a shop many local players know by name. Triangle Area Trading Cards sells Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Star Wars Unlimited, Lorcana, Riftbound and other trading-card products, making it a niche retailer with inventory that can range from inexpensive packs to cards worth thousands.

Court records identify the suspect as James Mitchell Fillingame of Harrisburg, and CBS 17 reported he remained free on bond after his first appearance at the Wake County Justice Center. He accepted representation by a court-appointed attorney. Prosecutors say he faces felony breaking and entering, felony larceny after breaking and entering, misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, misdemeanor injury to personal property, misdemeanor resisting a public officer and misdemeanor injury to real property. CBS 17 also reported the alleged accomplice was a 17-year-old juvenile, and that police found one suspect hiding in storage units about an hour after the burglary.

The store’s losses were softened by a major recovery, with the headline detail that most of the cards were found. No sports cards were stolen, only Magic and Pokémon inventory, which matters for a business built around high-value collectible niches. The case also recalls a string of Triangle collectible-shop break-ins in October 2025, when three stores were hit and owners responded by adding cameras and reinforcing doors and windows. With more than 75 billion Pokémon cards printed over nearly 30 years, and more than half of them since 2021, the market has become deep enough that even a five-minute theft can send shock waves through local shops and the resale market alike.