DA: Trio nabbed in string of copper thefts, fires

Authorities say they've apprehended three people who committed a string of burglaries at homes in multiple suburban counties last year, setting fires at some of the residences.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Kevin Colosimo, Ryan Nelson and Megan Gawel have been charged with burglary, arson, criminal conspiracy and other offenses in the February 2014 break-ins.

Prosecutors said the trio stole copper pipe from the homes, and in some cases ignited a fire on the kitchen stove.

Authorities said Colosimo, of Douglassville in Berks County; Nelson, of Aldan in Delaware County; and Gawel, of Newark, Del.; were responsible for incidents in Abington, East Norriton, Limerick and Pottstown in Montgomery County, and in Aston, Havertown and Swarthmore in Delaware County.

"These individuals placed money above the safety of others including the firefighters who responded," Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said in a statement.

All of the homes were unoccupied at the time of the burglaries. The houses were all listed for sale. They were owned by banks or holding companies, or otherwise part of an estate.

Prosecutors said Nelson, 22, and Gawel, 20, were arrested for burglary charges in Berks County in March 2014, shortly after the Philadelphia-area crimes. Colosimo, 36, evaded capture in that case, officials said.

When investigators searched the suspects' vehicle, they found burglary tools and handwritten notes with the addresses of other burglarized homes.

Detectives also used text messages on the suspects' phones and computer forensics to tie them to the various burglary scenes, prosecutors said.

The trio would search for homes listed online as for sale, then write down those address or enter them into their phones' GPS tool.

Their Internet and GPS searches match the homes where the burglaries and fires happened, prosecutors said. Cell-tower records also show the suspects were near the scenes at the times of the incidents.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman called the cell-tower analysis a "critical component" of the investigation.

All three were arraigned Thursday morning and jailed after failing to post bail, set at $1 million each, according to court records.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Feb. 27.