Men Stole Train Parts from Rail Yard, Police Say

A Hellertown man is accused of participating—with two other men—in the theft of parts from railroad cars parked in South Bethlehem, netting thousands of dollars in payment for scrap metal, according to court papers.

Michael Ridgick, 32, of 110 Northampton St., is facing multiple felony counts for the 2012 thefts at Lehigh Valley Rail Management’s property in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, which is located on former Bethlehem Steel land.

According to Bethlehem police, Ridgick worked with Corey Merwarth and Troy Heckman to steal more than 700 copper valves from railroad grain cars—commonly known as hoppers. Each of those valves had a red brass cap, which was also stolen, police said.

Merwarth of Hellertown, who is facing nine felony theft counts, was arrested in May and named Ridgick and Heckman as co-conspirators during a police interview, according to the affidavit of probable cause against Ridgick. Heckman of Bethlehem was arrested in May, according to online court records.

The thefts were discovered in September before the cars were to be returned to the Midwest for the fall grain harvest, police said. Proctor & Gamble, the owner of the hoppers, suffered a $30,000 loss as a result of the thefts, police said.

The men are also accused of stealing engine parts from Norfolk Southern locomotives—specifically aluminum radiators, causing $4,000 in losses to the railroad company, police said.

Drug addiction was apparently the motive in stealing the scrap metal, which was sold to H. Blinderman & Son in Hellertown for more than $20,000, police said. Merwarth visited the scrap metal business 68 times between June 29 and Oct. 17, police said.

Merwarth is also accused of stealing more than 5,000 pounds of braided copper cable from decommissioned PPL transmission towers. Ridgick is not facing any charges in that case.

According to the affidavit of probable cause against Ridgick, he was being held in Berks County Prison for other alleged scrap metal thefts in Hamburg when papers were first filed in May.

“Ridgick has an extensive criminal history featuring arrests for numerous retail thefts, several drug violations, theft, [receiving stolen property] and conspiracy to commit theft,” Bethlehem police Det. Bradford Jones wrote in the affidavit.

Ridgick was formally arraigned Tuesday on felony charges of theft, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy before District Judge James Stocklas and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail.