Tractor/Backhoe, Tools and Auto Parts Stolen, Garages and Houses Ransacked on a Farm in Brodheadsville Please Share

On Sunday (December 23rd, 2018) we met with John, a farm owner whose property is in Brodheadsville on Rt 115 and borders the Pleasant Valley School District property, about the recent thefts that have occurred.

John went to the farm on Friday, December 21st, 2018 to discover that thieves stole his John Deere 110 Tractor/Backhoe, removed tires, batteries, and radiators out of vehicles on his property sometime between Monday, December 17th and Friday, December 21st

On a previous occasion, thieves had stolen the tires off the tractor/backhoe, which cost John over $2500.00 to replace. Because of these prior thefts, he parked it where no one could see it, removed the battery and blocked it in with a pickup truck. The thieves dragged the pickup out of their way and most likely brought a battery with them so they could load it up on a trailer and drive away with it.

The thieves also broke into the house and garage on the property.  They stole tools as well as piled up antiques by the doors to come back later and take.  Some of the tools stolen were an acetylene torch, Snap-On tool chest filled with tools, three (3) Stihl chainsaws, Stihl branch trimmer, several Makita brand tools, roofing nailers and framers, a compressor and many more hand tools.

The State Police were called and they responded to take the report and investigate.

On Sunday, December 23rd, John was back at his property and he had an eerie feeling that all was not well.  He went across Rt 115 to the other side of his property to check on the farmhouse and cottage only to discover that the brazen thieves had comeback sometime Saturday night and broke into both of those buildings.

John took us on a tour of one of the farmhouses and my heart dropped to the floor as I viewed the destruction that the thieves had done, the house was completely ransacked.  It appeared that the thieves spent a long time in the house going through each room and throwing the contents around looking for items of value to take.  While we did not go into the cottage house, John stated the destruction was the same.

He also stated that it appeared that the thieves planned to come back for additional items that they had stacked near the front door of the cottage.

The Pennsylvania State Police were called a second time to report the additional theft on the property.

The property is clearly posted as private and no trespassing.   There is no reason for anyone other than the owners to be on the property.

John is offering a reward of $5000.00 for the return of the John Deere 110 Tractor/Backhoe. Please Share this article, the more coverage the better chance John will have getting his John Deere 110 and some of his things back.

If you have any information that will lead to the apprehension of the thieves and/or  the return of the stolen items, please contact PSP Fern Ridge at 570-646-2271

2 Responses

  1. Anna J Smith says:

    So sorry that this happened to you

  2. Mike B says:

    This is out of control. It’s happening up the mountain in Towamensing Trails, Indian Mt. Lakes and Mt. Pocahontas to name a few. Houses being broken into and robbed, the thieves have been videotaped but don’t seem to care. How can 20-30 houses and properties (minimum) get robbed and no one has any idea who is doing it? Why aren’t they being reported to the PSP, instead of the hired security “taking care of it”? We like our security but something more needs to be done before someone gets hurt or worse.

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