Ten vehicles stolen from locations around New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania were recovered from a chop shop in Allentown — leading to the arrest of the shop’s owner on Friday, Sept. 27, according to authorities.
Allentown Auto Works & Recycling, owned by Cesar Garcia-Martinez, 34, of Easton, was identified as a chop shop that was dismantling stolen vehicles during an investigation by the Lehigh County Auto Theft Task Force Unit, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office explained in a release on Monday, Sept. 30.
The investigation began when the task force was contacted by Allentown police regarding a stolen Honda Accord seen in the area of North 5th and Washington streets on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Police used an automated license plate reader to identify and confirm that the Honda had been reported stolen two days earlier from Elizabeth, New Jersey, according to the DA’s release.
A court order allowed detectives to place a mobile tracking device on the Honda to see where it was being taken to, authorities said. The car was tracked to Allentown Auto Works & Recycling , located at 299 Cedar Street, on Sept. 19.