Bristol Twp. Man Charged With Theft, Burglary Spree

A Bristol Township man has been charged after police allege he was involved in numerous thefts last week.

Bristol Township police were called to Basswood Road in Levittown around 10:30 a.m. last Thursday for a report that Ryan Mathew Beitz, 35, of the township’s Croydon section, was in the home. He had barricaded himself in a bedroom and shattered a window to escape the home. He previously had lived in the residence and was kicked out more than a year ago, according to court papers.

Officers responded and did not locate Beitz, police said.

About 15 minutes later, officers were called to Bristol Aluminum Company on Bristol-Emilie Road for a theft in progress. Police said a man matching the description of Beitz filled out a job application and stole mail valued at about $100 before fleeing.

A search of the area did not locate Beitz, police said.

Around 11:50 a.m., officers were dispatched for a burglary in progress on Brown Bark Road. A woman reported that she was in her bedroom folding laundry when the window in the back of the home slide open. She stated that a man matching Beitz’s description stuck his head in the window and fled once she screamed, police said.

Officers were then alerted by a dispatcher that a man matching Beitz’s description was in a home in the 20 block of Boston Ivy Road. The resident said Beitz entered his home through a side door and the two came face-to-face in the kitchen, police said.

Beitz allegedly stole the resident’s Samsung cell phone from the kitchen counter before fleeing.

Dispatchers received more reports of Beitz jumping fences and entering homes, police said.

In the 60 block of Balsam Road, a homeowner reported that Beitz entered her closed carport storage area. Officers arrived and found him in the storage area, police said.

Beitz was found with five plastic bags that contained suspected drugs, two small containers with a white, chalky, rock-like substance, police said.

Three witnesses confirmed the person that they encountered was Beitz.

Beitz was charged with multiple counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, and related offenses. He was arraigned by District Judge Kevin Wagner and jailed on 10 percent of $500,000.

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.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies