Suspect Identified, Faces Numerous Charges in Sewickley Car Thefts

A Moon Township man is accused of burglarizing Herbst Automotive in Sewickley twice and stealing four cars from the service station's lot.

Allegheny County Police filed charges against Johnathan Michael Jaquay, 19, of Colony West Drive, including two counts each of burglary and criminal trespass, six counts of theft, four counts of receiving stolen property, and three counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Police said Jaquay forced his way into through a window sometime overnight on Nov. 22 and stole a Toshiba laptop, $20 in cash and seven keys belonging to vehicles parked in the lot.

Police said three of the vehicles – a 2001 Toyota Highlander, a 2007 Lincoln MKZ and 1996 Saab 900 -- were later reported stolen from the lot. Another vehicle, a 1999 Chrysler 300, was moved from its location but was still on the lot, police said.

A day later, Moon Township police found the 2007 Lincoln MKZ wrecked and abandoned in the township on University Boulevard. The car was towed back to Herbst. When the owner went to retrieve some of her belongings from the car, she found a cell phone in the passenger compartment that didn’t belong to her.

Police were able to trace the phone subscriber to Jaquay.

On Nov. 29, Herbst reported a second burglary similar to the first. Someone again forced their way through a side window and took keys belonging to a 2006 Honda Civic. The car had been parked at Herbst and reported stolen.

Three days before Christmas, Moon police found the Honda in the Colony West parking lot, where Jaquay resides. While processing the vehicle on Dec. 28, county detectives found a sales receipt for a Subway Restaurant in Pittsburgh. Police reviewed the restaurant’s Dec. 21 surveillance during the time Jaquay would have eaten there and saw numerous images of him.

Detectives on Dec. 30 sent copies of the images to Moon police, who were able to identify Jaquay.

On Jan. 5, detectives interviewed Jaquay, who confessed to breaking into the service station with his brother, Robert, who has not been charged in connection with this case.

Jaquay told investigators the two had attempted to take a Mercedes SUV from the Herbst lot, but it wouldn’t start. He then took the Lincoln MKZ while his brother took the Saab and they drove them back to a parking lot near their Moon residence, police said. His brother drove him back to the lot, and Jaquay said he tried to take a Chrysler. The Chrysler had a power steering problem, Jaquay said, so he took the Toyota Highlander instead.  About two weeks later, police said, Jaquay drove back to Herbst in the Toyota, broke in again and took the Honda.

He is also facing separate charges in Moon. Police there said he broke into Kmart on Beaver Grade Road through a rear  at 1 a.m. Nov. 1, while the store was closed, and stole video games, electronics and more than 100 packs of cigarettes. Images from the store's surveillance camera show a man who police say was Jaquay wearing a white and black mask, such as the one featured in the film Scream, a dark hooded sweatshirt and gloves. After entering the store, Jaquay took several cartons of cigarettes, video games, controllers and an iPod docking station, according to reports. 

Moon police said on the morning of Jan. 5, Jaquay also walked into a Hookstown Grade Road office and took a pair of keys for a black Mercedes-Benz that was on a front desk. He drove the  to College Park Drive in Moon, but took the keys for the vehicle back to his Colony West apartment. 

Jaquay also confessed to that burglary and  while police questioned him. Police found the keys to the Mercedes during a search of Jaquay's apartment. 

He was scheduled to appear Tuesday in Coraopolis District Court and later in Leetsdale District Court for preliminary hearings. Charges were waived in Coraopolis and he was released on a promise to return for court proceedings. The hearing scheduled in Leetsdale was postponed because Jaquay did not have transportation. 

Moon Patch Editor Jenna Staul contributed to this report.