On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 9:42 PM, Officer Nolan Cummings, responded to a 911 call in reference to a suspicious person who attempted to enter several vehicles in the 1900 block of Armstrong Ave in the Morton section of the township. Upon arrival, a witness advised that he observed a black male (wearing all dark clothing) trying car door handles. The subject was last seen walking on Armstrong Ave towards Kedron Ave.
Upon checking the vicinity, Officer Cummings observed JAHQUAN PENN (who matched the description provided) pull on the door handle of a Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot of Knoetgen-Donahue Funeral Home. Upon speaking with PENN, the officer immediately detected a strong odor of alcohol as well as marijuana. PENN claimed that he was from South West Philadelphia and followed the GPS on his phone to his current location. According to PENN, his destination was a friend’s house whose address he could not provide. PENN was then taken into custody and searched incident to arrest.
PENN had a large amount of U.S. currency, a small amount of marijuana, steel brass knuckles, multiple gift cards as well as several other items that were believed to be stolen from vehicles. PENN was transported to the police station and charged accordingly. A victim from Amosland Rd. reported that they had surveillance footage of PENN enter a vehicle parked in a driveway. If anyone had anything stolen from their vehicle please contact Ridley Township Detectives (610)532-4002.
The Ridley Township Police Department would like to remind everyone to lock their vehicles. Please do not leave valuables and/or keys to the vehicle in the vehicle. If you notice any suspicious activity, call 911 immediately. Due to the fact that a concerned citizen did just that, officers were able to respond and apprehend PENN.