Homeless man jailed after New Kensington police say he stole truck left running at gas station
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New Kensington police arrested a homeless man Wednesday several hours after he allegedly stole a pickup that was left running while the owner went into the BP station on Tarentum Bridge Road to buy something.
Matthew David Geracia, 36, was charged with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property along with counts of drug possession, theft, receiving stolen property and driving with a suspended license.
He is being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $50,000 cash bond, according to court records. He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on May 11.
A man called police shortly before 3:30 a.m. and told them he saw his truck being driven out of the parking lot when he left the store and watched it turn onto Tarentum Bridge Road and then Carl Avenue, according to a criminal complaint. He said his wallet and cellphone were in the truck when it was stolen.
A gas station clerk told police that before driving off in the truck, the suspect was in the store trying to buy cigarettes with a prepaid credit card that didn’t have enough to cover the cost.
The clerk gave police a clothing description, and the incident was captured on a nearby city traffic camera, the complaint said.
Officers searched the area but were unable to find the pickup, police said.
The truck’s owner also was unable to track his missing iPhone online or use the vehicle’s onboard computer system to locate where it was traveling, according to the complaint.
At 5:30 a.m., the cellphone’s service provider was able to “ping” the location of the device within 0.15-mile of a cell tower in the 500 block of Camp Avenue, but the vehicle wasn’t there when officers checked the area.
Around 10 a.m., a patrol officer spotted the truck parked near the intersection of Third Avenue and 16th Street in New Kensington. They used a device to unlock it so it could be towed and searched for evidence, police said.
An employee of a nearby business let police view video from surveillance cameras, which showed the same man who stole the truck get out and walk toward Third Avenue, the complaint said.
The woman told police she recognized the man and that she frequently sees him walking along Third Avenue.
Geracia was taken into custody about five minutes later, the complaint said.
Police said Geracia admitted the key fob they found on him was for the truck. When asked whether he stole the vehicle, police said he responded: “If you say so.”
The truck was returned to its owner, who told police the only thing missing was a $700 iPhone 12.