Burglary, theft and other serious offenses were held for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court at a preliminary hearing last week for two Reading men accused of a middle-of-the-night garage burglary in Hilltown Township that led to a multi-agency manhunt across Upper Bucks and the recovery of two stolen dirt bikes.
Yalexander Yamil Muniz, 22, and Joel Gerardo Santiago-Lopez, 22, of the 300 block of Elm Street, will each be arraigned in county court on their respective charges in October.
According to Hilltown Township Police, the incident began around 2:30 a.m. on July 8, when a homeowner on Callowhill Road received a phone alert indicating an interior garage camera had been disconnected. When the homeowner went to investigate, he discovered the garage door ajar and three dirt bikes missing — two gas-powered and one electric, police said.
Officers arrived at the scene within minutes and, while canvassing the area, heard engines starting nearby. A passerby informed police they had seen dirt bikes fleeing toward Route 113 and Route 313, police said.
Around 2:50 a.m., a Pennridge Regional Police officer stationed near Route 313 and Fifth Street spotted two dirt bikes and a white Chrysler 200 approaching, police said.
When the officer attempted a traffic stop, the dirt bike riders fled in different directions, police said. One of the bikes was recovered abandoned shortly after.
The driver of the Chrysler, identified as Muniz, was taken into custody. Police said the stolen electric dirt bike was visible hanging out of the vehicle’s trunk.
Yalexander Yamil Muniz, 22, of Reading (Credit: Hilltown Police)
Joel Gerardo Santiago-Lopez, 22, of Reading (Credit: Hilltown Police)Around 4:30 a.m., a Perkasie Borough officer came across a stopped Infiniti sedan with hazard lights flashing along Ridge Road near Schoolhouse Lane.
The vehicle’s occupants, also from Reading, had no apparent reason for being in the area, police said.
After interviews by Hilltown officers and a detective, the front seat passenger was identified as Santiago-Lopez, who authorities said had fled earlier after ditching a stolen dirt bike. Santiago-Lopez was also taken into custody.
Muniz is charged with felony counts of burglary, theft, and receiving stolen property, and misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to court documents.
Santiago-Lopez is charged with felony counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, and criminal trespassing, according to court records.
Investigators were working to identify a third suspect and locate the final stolen dirt bike.
Hilltown Township Police thanked Pennridge Regional, Perkasie Borough, Richland Township, Quakertown Borough, New Britain Township, Solebury Township Police, and Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance in the coordinated response.
Santiago-Lopez is free on 10% of $40,000 cash bail, according to court records. Muniz remains jailed on 10% of $15,000 cash bail, per court documents. Both are represented by public defenders.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
