2nd suspect nabbed in propane tank thefts

A second man has been apprehended for a series of propane tank thefts in Northeast Philadelphia last month.

Philadelphia police said Wednesday that 38-year-old John Ploucher, of the city's Bridesburg section, was facing charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, criminal conspiracy and other related offenses.

Another Bridesburg man, 49-year-old Stephan Williams, was arrested Dec. 29.

Counterterrorism officials were alarmed at first by the thefts of about three dozen propane tanks and welding equipment from three locations in Northeast Philadelphia, but police later described the suspects as scrap-metal collectors.