Two men have been jailed for allegedly attempting to burglarize a gas station Schuylkill County Tuesday morning.
State Police say they were on routine patrol along Route 54 in Mahanoy Township at about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday when they spotted a black SUV backed up to the entrance of Grutza’s gas station.
Police say the gas station was closed and the lights of the SUV were on at the time they passed. They decided to turn around and check on the vehicle. When they got back to the gas station, the vehicle was parked just south of the business with its daytime lights activated.
Two occupants in the vehicle, police say, were each wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, black rubber boots, and rubber gloves with black tape at the wrists to hold the gloves to the sweatshirt. Each had on a black mask to cover their head and neck.
The driver of the vehicle had a ski mask in his possession and the passenger wore glasses.
Police say they saw a steel cable attached to the tow hitch of the vehicle and that cable led to the trunk area of the vehicle. A large sledgehammer and pry bar were also inside the trunk, police say. The back seat of the vehicle was reclined.
The vehicle had a Pennsylvania registration that belonged to a 2004 BMW but the suspects were in an Audi Q7 that should have had a New Jersey registration, police add. Black tape was affixed over the front inspection sticker.
Police identified the driver as Julian Amway, 23, of Temple, and the passenger as Jaden Morgan, 22, of Reading. Both were charged with felony burglary as well as misdemeanor counts of theft, possessing an instrument of crime, and prowling at night.
Amway and Morgan were arraigned at 5 Tuesday morning before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker, who set bail at $100,000 for each and remanded them to Schuylkill County Prison. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Oct. 30.
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