PA Funeral Director Charged With Dumping Dead Pets: Car Vandalized

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, PA — Police are investigating the vandalism of a car parked in the lot of a funeral home whose owner is accused of dumping thousands of dead pets in a landfill after their owners had paid for their cremations.

Township police said in a social media post Friday that they are probing a criminal mischief act in the rear parking lot of the Vereb Funeral Home at 1007 Freeport Road that occurred late Wednesday or early Thursday. A nearby resident had parked their vehicle in the lot and it was struck repeatedly, apparently by a baseball bat.

That person is not affiliated with the funeral home. Its owner, Patrick Vereb, last month was charged with stealing more than $650,000 from customers who paid for cremations, burials, returns of ashes and other animal-related services. Those services allegedly were not performed and the animal remains instead were dumped in a landfill.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said there are at least 6,500 victims in the case.

Harrison police are requesting that anyone who saw suspicious activity at the funeral home in the overnight hours contact them.