A McAdoo teenager has been charged and remains in custody following an alleged attempted theft from a vehicle and a confrontation that escalated to gunfire last weekend in Shenandoah Heights.
According to West Mahanoy Township Police, Jeremy Escano Concepcion, 18, of McAdoo, was charged with criminal attempt to commit theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 2) and loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3).
According to court documents the incident began at approximately 12:16 a.m. on Saturday,June 21, when the Schuylkill County Communications Center dispatched officers to the 300 Block of Ohio Avenue for a reported theft in progress. The property owner told police he had installed motion detectors after a prior theft of firearms from his vehicle.
The property owner reported that he was alerted by the motion detectors and, upon investigation, observed an individual rummaging through his Jeep. He confronted the suspect with a non-lethal projectile-firing pistol and attempted to detain him when the suspect fled. A physical altercation ensued during which the property owner said the suspect’s mask came off, allowing him to identify the person as a Hispanic male with dark hair.
During the struggle, the property owner told police the suspect dropped a pink Apple iPhone and a vape pen. While the two grappled on Ohio Avenue, a second masked individual allegedly fired six shots into the air nearby, prompting them to disengage. The two suspects then fled into a wooded area.
Investigators later collected blood samples, the vape pen, and the phone from the scene.
On Monday, June 23, West Mahanoy Township Police were contacted by Luzerne County Juvenile Probation regarding a 16-year-old under their supervision for unrelated firearm and vehicle theft offenses. During a visit to the juvenile’s residence in Shenandoah Heights, police discovered Concepcion hiding behind a mirror. Officers noted injuries to Concepcion’s face consistent with the property owner's account of the altercation.
Concepcion was taken into custody and transported to the West Mahanoy Township Police Station, where he was advised of his Miranda rights. Initially requesting an attorney, he later agreed to speak with investigators. According to police, Concepcion admitted to entering the unlocked vehicle and attempting to steal from it. He stated that he was confronted by Chernewski, tackled, and struck multiple times, causing injuries to his head and eye before fleeing.
Concepcion denied involvement in any prior theft of firearms from the victim's vehicle.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker, who set bail at $25,000 straight cash. Concepcion was committed to Schuylkill County Prison, where he remains awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 3.
The second suspect, believed to have fired the shots during the incident, has not been publicly identified.
The investigation is ongoing.