Warrant Issued After Schuylkill County Restaurants Burglarized

An arrest warrant has been issued for a Lancaster man who police say burglarized two restaurants in Schuylkill County late last year, stealing thousands of dollars from ATMs inside, additional cash from a drawer, and damages both businesses.

One of the restaurants was hit twice over the course of two months because the suspect failed to break into the ATM during his first burglary.

On Friday, Magisterial District Judge AJ Serina signed an arrest warrant for Dan Quac Tran, 47, of Lancaster.

Tran, police say, broke into Mac’s Diner just before midnight on Nov. 18 and then burglarized Josie’s Place restaurant shortly after midnight on Nov. 19. Both restaurants are located in North Manheim Township.

Mac’s Diner was burglarized again sometime between 1 p.m. on Dec. 22 and 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 23. Police suspect Tran is responsible for that break-in, too.

Investigation Details

According to an affidavit filed by State Police-Schuylkill Haven, Troopers were dispatched to both restaurants on the morning of Nov. 19.

At Josie’s Place, located at Renninger’s Market, police spoke with the business owner there who said she arrived at 5 a.m. and noticed the back door was open.

In the dining room, the owner told police she saw that a hole was cut into the side of the ATM there. Other doors and drawers inside the restaurant were opened, too. She could only confirm that $50 had been taken from a drawer behind the counter.

Police noticed that a steel side door was left wide open and appeared to be pried open. An estimate to temporarily fix that door came in at more than $760 and the cost to replace it is more than $6,300.

The State Police Forensic Services Unit and Criminal Investigation Unit arrived on scene to assess damage done to the ATM – owned by a third-party vendor, Artie’s ATMs – inside Josie’s Place. They say two cuts in the right side of the machine were made by a grinder tool.

Police gathered that there was $3,400 in cash inside the ATM at Josie’s Place that was stolen by Tran.

That same morning, police arrived at Mac’s Diner, located along Route 61, and found a similar story with a different outcome. Police believe Tran broke into that restaurant, causing $300 in damage to a rear entrance door. However, Tran allegedly was unable to break into the ATM during his visit there on the night of Nov. 18.

Video surveillance footage gathered from a nearby business shows a vehicle believed to be Tran’s come and go from Mac’s Diner that night in the span of 20 minutes.

More than a month later, Tran is suspected of revisiting Mac’s Diner sometime between Dec. 22-23. This time, police say the back door to the restaurant was pried open. Tran then allegedly cut into the side of the ATM and this time was able to access the money inside. Police say there was $2,000 in cash in the ATM.

In total, Tran is suspected of stealing $5,400 from the ATMs plus another $50 from the cash drawer at Josie’s Restaurant over the course of the incidents. Additionally, police say Tran caused more than $15,000 in property damage at both restaurants, including $3,900 for each ATM he damaged.

As the investigation into these burglaries progressed, police say they collected video evidence from several businesses near the restaurants. They were able to get a general description of the suspect and his vehicle from those videos.

Then, contact was made with State Police units in Lancaster, Chambersburg, and Bedford, as well as the Baltimore County Police Dept. in Maryland, who say they’d been investigating burglaries with a similar M.O.

Back in January, police here in Schuylkill County learned that the suspect in the restaurant burglaries was Tran and that he’s suspected of committing a string of similar burglaries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Police in Schuylkill County were able to obtain digital forensic evidence that reportedly shows Tran’s mobile device in the area of both restaurants on the days of the burglaries.

Tran is facing the following charges in Schuylkill County:

• 3 counts of burglary (second-degree felony)
• 2 counts of theft (third-degree felony)
• 3 counts of criminal trespass (second-degree felony)
• 5 counts of criminal mischief (second-degree misdemeanor)

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