Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office
A Langhorne resident is accused of stealing more than $638,000 in property from SEPTA.
Kyle Allen, 28, was charged Thursday in Montgomery County with felony burglary, dealing in the proceeds of illegal activities, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned and sent to prison on $75,000 bail, authorities said.
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The multiple charges stem from numerous alleged thefts of train and vehicle parts from six different SEPTA properties scattered between Delaware County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia.
The investigation began in Plymouth Township, Montgomery County when SEPTA reported an early morning theft from one of its yards in May. A SEPTA manager pointed out that the perpetrator was Allen, a SEPTA employee at the time of the alleged thefts, police said.
The probe by Plymouth and SEPTA police detectives uncovered that Allen was behind the theft of 500 batteries, approximately 260 catalytic converters, 100 spools of wire, parts specific to the SEPTA El Train and other electrical components stolen between early 2015 and recently.
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Authorities allege that Allen would sell the stolen items for scrap at a fraction of their value.
“The defendant’s actions unfortunately impact all of us who ride SEPTA. This a huge loss for SEPTA and for what – the defendant only received pennies on the dollar from the scrapyard. He is now incarcerated and faces substantial jail time for his actions,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement.
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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.
