Thief Tries to Sell 220 Feet of Stolen Wire, Police Say

A Phillipsburg, N.J. man is accused of trying to sell stolen copper wiring to Easton Iron and Metalon Tuesday, according to court papers.

John Struble, 49, of 129 Filmore St., allegedly brought 220 feet of rare, thick-gauge copper wiring to the Easton scrap metal shop, which according to an arrest affidavit, had been stolen from a New Jersey steel fabrications manufacturer earlier in the month.

Phillipsburg police had been investigating the theft of a large amount of copper wiring from G.J. Oliver Inc., 50 Industrial Drive, Phillipsburg, since it occurred on June 2, according to the affidavit, which was written by Easton police Det. John Piperato.

Piperato wrote that he was informed of the investigation on Tuesday after Phillipsburg police caught up to suspect Struble at Easton Iron and Metal. As part of its investigation, Phillipsburg police had asked the Easton scrap metal shop to call if anyone showed up with copper wiring like what had been stolen, the affidavit said.

Struble turned up at the Easton shop with 220 feet of the wire at a little after 9 a.m., police said.

Struble was apparently already a suspect in the theft. A G.J. Oliver employee found his cell phone in a caged area of the company’s plant where the wire had been stolen, the affidavit said.

John Oliver, an employee of G.J. Oliver, identified the wire that Struble allegedly tried to sell to Easton Iron and Metal as the wire that had been stolen from his company, police said. The value of the wire that had been stolen was more than $2,000, police said.

Easton police charged Struble with felony receiving stolen property. He was arraigned before on-duty District Judge John Narlesky of Hanover Township and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.

-- written by Daryl Nerl