Man Cuts Gas Line In W. Whiteland Attempted Homicide: Police

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A New Jersey man is accused of trying to kill a family in West Whiteland Township by cutting a gas line during the night and leaving a device nearby that could start a fire, authorities in Chester County said.

A member of the household had a Protection From Abuse Order against the man at the time, police said.

The Chester County District Attorney's Office and West Whiteland Township Police has charged Ryan D. Elliott, 30, of Leonardo, NJ with five counts of Criminal Attempt to commit Criminal Homicide and related charges stemming from a Nov. 12 incident.

West Whiteland Township Police spoke to a homeowner in the Whiteland Woods Development in West Whiteland Township just after 5 a.m. on Nov. 12. The homeowner told officers that he awoke to a strong natural gas smell in the residence.

The homeowner told police he checked the basement and found the gas line had been cut. Five family members were inside the residence at the time of the incident. Police reported someone had broken into the home. Investigators found a cut gas line and an "incendiary device" close to where the gas line was cut. Incendiary devices are something that is made to cause a fire or explosion.

Police identified Elliott as the person they believed to be responsible for the alleged crimes. Police said one of the family members who lived in the residence had an active Protection from Abuse Order against Elliott at the time of the incident.

U.S. Marshal’s Service, New Jersey State Police Fugitive Task Force, and the Middletown Township Police took Elliott into custody in Leonardo, NJ as a Fugitive from Justice, on Nov. 13. He is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said.

The West Whiteland Township Fire Department, Chester County District Attorney's Office, Chester County Detectives, Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Bomb Squad, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted in the initial response and investigation. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled once the defendant is extradited to Chester County.

If you have any information about this case, contact West Whiteland Township Det. Scott Pezick at 484-875-6021.