Police Found Two Men Hiding in Closets of an Abandoned Home and a Bag Full of Stolen DeWalt Tools

A neighbor noticed something off. Two men being dropped off outside an abandoned, condemned property on Harleysville Pike in Lower Salford Township at 9 in the morning on a Wednesday.

One carrying a black backpack. The other holding a red item. That one call changed everything.

The House, the Call, and What Police Found

The property sits in the 900 block of Harleysville Pike. Condemned by Lower Salford Township. No one was supposed to be inside.

Officers arrived at 9:06 a.m. on May 6, 2026. Front door partially open. A window open too. They announced themselves multiple times. No response.

A man in a black sweatshirt with a headlight strapped to his head bolted from the kitchen toward the garage, ignoring every command to stop.

Police locked down the perimeter and searched room by room. Jason Adam Lombardi, 52, of Schwenksville, was found hiding under boxes in a small garage room.

Kevin Patrick O’Brien, 44, of Plymouth Meeting, was pulled out of a bedroom closet.

What Was in the Backpack

The black backpack told the real story.

Inside: DeWalt tools marked with someone else’s initials. Screwdrivers, crowbars, and items police described as tools commonly used in burglary activity. O’Brien admitted some items in his sweatshirt had been taken from inside the residence.

Police also recovered suspected crystal methamphetamine and $530 cash from O’Brien’s pocket during the arrest.

According to court records reported by North Penn Now, both men were charged with felony burglary, felony criminal trespass, and conspiracy. O’Brien faces an additional possession of a controlled substance charge.

Why Condemned Properties Keep Showing Up in Crime Reports

Condemned homes sit in a legal gray zone. Still private property, but physically open, visually isolated, and off most people’s radar. That combination makes them a predictable location for exactly this kind of activity.

This is not an isolated pattern. A coordinated crew showed the same playbook when five suspects were arrested in Farmerville after a BOLO alert led deputies straight to the home they were using as a base. The location changes. The method does not.

If you follow local crime and public safety closely, there is a WhatsApp channel that tracks stories like this as they break. Useful if you want updates without waiting on the news cycle.

Why This Matters

Montgomery County ranks in the 97th percentile for safety nationally, yet burglary still costs the county over $8.3 million annually, with roughly 1 incident per 1,000 residents each year.

Even in safe areas, blind spots exist. Condemned properties are one of the most consistent ones.

Pennsylvania law does not require anything to be stolen to charge someone with felony burglary. Intent upon entry is enough.

That backpack, those crowbars, those tools with someone else’s initials: all of it directly supports a felony case carrying up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine per count.

These crimes happen where people are not watching.

It played out when a teen from Philadelphia racked up burglary charges across two counties, and again when a South American crew walked away with thousands from a Newhall home nobody knew was being targeted.

The thread running through all of it: the properties looked forgotten.

Key Takeaways

• Lombardi and O’Brien were arrested May 6, 2026, at a condemned property in Lower Salford Township
• Both face felony burglary, felony criminal trespass, and conspiracy charges
• Stolen DeWalt tools, crowbars, and screwdrivers were recovered from the backpack
• O’Brien additionally faces a drug possession charge; suspected meth and $530 cash were found on him
• The arrest started with a civilian tip, not a patrol
• Felony burglary in Pennsylvania carries up to 20 years and a $25,000 fine
• All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty

Should townships be required to actively secure condemned properties, or does keeping an eye on them fall on the community? Drop your take in the comments.

Wrapping Up

This whole case started because one person paid attention. Not a security system. Not a patrol car. Just a neighbor who noticed something wrong at a building that should have been empty.

That detail says more about crime prevention than any policy ever will.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available court records at the time of publication. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.