Shane Edward Whitaker, 34, of Williamstown; Kimberly Nicole Dougherty, 25, of Deptford; and Kevin Edwin Steward of Gibbstown were charged with theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief and trespass, and related crimes.

They were held in the Delaware County Jail after each failed to post $150,000 bail.

"We have learned that a number of radio and cellular telephone communication towers in Philadelphia may have been compromised in a similar way by this same crew," said G. Michael Green, Delaware County district attorney.

Detectives were sifting through information found in the suspects' rented van, including data from a GPS device, to determine other towers that might have been vandalized, Green said. Authorities also alerted communication companies to check for damage.

The wires ground the tower from lightning strikes. If a tower is not properly grounded, a lightning strike could affect cellular coverage and disrupt handheld police radio communication in the Essington and Chester area, said Robert P. Kropp of Horizon Resources Consultants.

"All cell towers handle 911 calls," said Brian Herrick, an FBI spokesman. If a single tower is lost, calls are routed to another tower.

Four commercial carriers and the Delaware County Emergency Services were using the tower.

According to the affidavit, Wayne Hunley, a neighbor, saw an unfamiliar vehicle at Radio Communications in the 900 block of Eddystone Avenue and went to investigate. When he told the defendants that he was writing down their license plate, they sped away.

Police stopped the van on Chester Pike, and a company employee identified the stolen materials.

Green said Whitaker had worked for a company installing cell-phone towers and, when caught, was wearing a climbing harness.

Whitaker "knew what he was doing," Green said.

Stealing copper from cell-phone towers can provide quick cash for scrap thieves, who have been more known to take manhole covers and construction materials. Copper futures are selling for about $2.33 a pound, according to the Associated Press.

Thefts from cell towers, while more difficult, are not uncommon. In North Jersey, thieves removed copper grounding bars from 25 cell-phone towers in 2008. In 2007, the U.S. Attorney's Office indicted five people in connection with stealing more than $270,000 worth of copper from 133 cell-phone towers in Virginia and North Carolina.