Skip to content
Crime & Justice
Link copied to clipboard

Cops: Job-seeker was tool thief

North Philly man arrested for theft after applying for job.

Some free advice from the Crime for Dummies handbook: Don't return to the scene of your crime, if you hope to get away with it.

Harold Williams of North Philly apparently didn't heed this advice. Williams, 59, of Mayfield Street near Broad, is now charged with theft and related offenses after he allegedly stole a tool from an East Falls auto-repair shop, and then returned four days later and applied for a job, police said.

When Williams visited Joe's Auto April 27 inquiring about work, a garage employee recognized him as the man who stole a half-inch impact wrench from a mechanic's tool box on April 23, police said. The employee directed Williams to sweep the front of the shop, located on Indian Queen Lane near Cresson Street, and then went to his office and alerted police.

His arraignment is set for May 30, according to court records.