For weeks, Falls Township police have been asking residents who see something suspicious to call them. On Wednesday, a resident’s tip about a suspicious vehicle paid off.
Police said that two men were arrested early Wednesday morning after they allegedly stole parts of an air conditioner unit from a home located in Falls’ Levittown section.
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Gregory Schools, 53, of Falls, and Michael Wierzbowski, 47, of Bristol Township, were charged with theft, receiving stolen property and loitering and prowling at night.
The caller told a dispatcher he saw a black truck drop a man off at a home in the 200 block of Thornridge Drive and drive around several times. The caller thought it was strange due to the early hour and because the home was currently up for sheriff sale, according to court papers.
Officers stopped the truck on Falls-Tullytown Road and found the two men. In the back of the truck, an air conditioner unit coil was found and later determined to be stolen from the Thornridge Drive home. Tools, including wire cutters, wrenches and screwdrivers, were found in the front compartment of the truck, police said.
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Back at the Thornridge home, the air conditioning unit was found dismantled, according to authorities.
The man who called police reportedly identified Schools as the man he was around the home.
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“We would like to stress this arrest was made possible by someone seeing something suspicious and calling us,” Lt. Hank Ward said following the arrests. “We need the help of the public to stop the recent rash of burglaries and thefts.”
Wierzbowski was released after a family member posted 10 percent of $25,000 bail, and Schools remains in prison on 10 percent of $25,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
