3 New Jersey men accused of taking metal from Penn Township business

Penn Township police said three New Jersey men nabbed with metal items valued at $120,000 are suspected of being part of a large theft ring.

Police said they responded to an alarm at Hamill Manufacturing Co. around 3:20 a.m. Saturday and spotted the three men leaving in a pickup loaded with the metal items. Authorities believe the suspects had called 911 to report a bogus armed robbery on Route 22.

“We believe that phone call was a ruse to draw resources away from the burglar alarm to facilitate their escape,” said Penn Township police Chief John Otto, who credited the responding officer and a 911 dispatcher with interrupting a “multi-state organized theft operation.”

Charged with conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property and trespassing are Bobby Lucci, 27; Anthony M. Miguel, 30; and Marcello Miguel, 22. They were taken to Westmoreland County Prison after being denied bail.

Police said the men had been leaving the Pleasant Valley Road business when the responding officer stopped the pickup in which they were riding. The three men claimed to be working on a forklift and said they needed the items in the truck bed for the job, according to court papers.

An official with the business told investigators no one should be at the building.

Since the arrests, police said they have fielded calls from numerous agencies interested in searching the pickup, Otto said. Police are still trying to figure out who owns it.

“We’ve gotten multiple — a half-dozen — phone calls from police departments that are interested in these three individuals and the vehicle they were using in this crime,” he said.

The suspects gave police false names and dates of birth, according to court papers. They were eventually identified through fingerprints. None had an attorney listed in online court records. Preliminary hearings are set for Jan. 23.