The second suspect accused of helping steal items from car in the Fairless Hills section of Bristol Township was charged via summons last week.
Nathan Oppmann, 19, of Croydon, is alleged to have worked with 23-year-old Falls Township resident Michael Beard Jr in entering several vehicles recently. Police said an off-duty officer confronted the two men and they jumped in a conversion van and backed down the street in an attempt to hide the license plate from the lawman.
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Oppmannn and Beard fled and the van were spotted in the nearby Hidden Forrest Apartment Complex, police said. The two ran when they saw a police car arrive and an officer chased after the two into woods in the rear of the 900 building, court papers state.
According to police, both suspects were captured in the woods.
Related: Off-Duty Officer Helps Catch Suspects, Police Say
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Shorty after, county dispatch advised of a second 911 call stating a witness saw the two men put objects in the bushes near his apartment, according to court documents.
An officer searched the area where the witness claimed to have seen the two men placing the object and discovered a laptop, computer monitor and jumper cables, police said. They added that a wallet belonging to one of the victims was found in the area where Beard was hiding in the woods. Two cup holders full of money that were reported stolen from a vehicle were found a bit later inside the van, police said.
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Investigators interviewed Oppmann who, according to police, said Beard asked him to watch his back while he stole from vehicle. He said Beard offered to pay him money to help. Court documents state Oppmann helped police identify the vehicle they entered and said the duo tried to enter other vehicles in the area.
Beard was arrested in early June and sent to county jail on 10 percent of $20,000 bail by District Judge Robert Wagner Jr.
Oppmanm was charged via mail summons and not sent to county jail before his preliminary hearing.
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