Camera Captures Hidden Theft, Police Say

Written by Jack Tobias

On June 29, loss-prevention officials from the Bethlehem Township Walmart reviewed surveillance video for June and discovered an apparent shoplifting incident from earlier in the month they didn’t know about.

The video showed a man walking out of the store around 11pm June 4, a Tuesday, with a 6,000 BTU EStar air conditioner, valued at $164. The man did not pay for it, court records say.

Township police Tuesday charged the alleged air conditioner thief – Jacob Joseph Csilinko, 22, of 6255 Sullivan Trail, Plainfield Township.

It turns out that Csilinko already is in Northampton County Prison in connection with two other alleged thefts from the same Walmart, the records say.

Online court records show Csilinko was arraigned June 16 on retail theft charges in two cases out of Bethlehem Township.

In the air conditioner case, Csilinko was arraigned Tuesday afternoon by District Judge Joseph Barner of Lower Nazareth Township on a charge of retail theft. Csilinko was returned to the county prison in lieu of $2,500 bail.