Two men were arrested in connection with catalytic converter thefts, according to law enforcement.
Tullytown Borough police were flagged down last Friday morning along Route 13 by a man who believed the pickup truck he was following contained the two suspects from a morning catalytic converter theft from an RV at a business in the borough, according to court papers.
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On Old Route 13, Tullytown Borough police were able to stop the pickup and detain two people – David A. Diaz, 33, Ricardo Rivera-Roman, 33, both of Trenton. A sawzall and two catalytic converters were found in the vehicle. One of those matched the one stolen from the RV at the borough business, police said.
While the two men were detained, Rivera-Roman fled into the woods near Atlantic Concrete. Tullytown Borough officers called for assistance and a K-9 unit from Middletown Township, police said.
A perimeter was established by Falls Township police and the K-9 tracked Rivera-Roman’s scent until the dog lost it near the railroad tracks near the Penn Warner Club, police said.
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The police perimeter was stood down, but officers kept searching.
A Penn Warner Club manager told officers Rivera-Roman was kicked off the property after attempting to take a bicycle, police said.
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A Tullytown Borough officer spotted Rivera-Roman and a second police perimeter was established.
Falls Township officers ended up spotting Rivera-Roman and detained him, police said.
Investigators from Bristol Borough, Falls Township, and Tullytown Borough attempted to question Rivera-Roman.
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Rivera-Roman declined to speak, but Diaz denied allegations mentioned by Falls Township and Bristol Borough police. However, he said he picked up Rivera-Roman on Route 13 while the man was riding a bicycle. He claimed to have told Rivera-Roman not to cut the catalytic converter at the location on Route 13, police said.
Authorities said Diaz told them he can get between $200 and $500 for a catalytic converter.
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The area has seen a rash of catalytic converter thefts in recent months. Authorities have said they suspect there is more than one group stealing the vehicle parts.
Diaz and Rivera-Roman were both were charged with theft and receiving stolen property. Rivera-Roman is also facing charges of escape and false identification to law enforcement. Both men were arraigned and held in lieu of 10 percent of $70,000 bail.
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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.
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