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Homeless men arrested in bicycle thefts in Rittenhouse, University City

Police have arrested two homeless men in connection with a rash of bicycle thefts in Rittenhouse Square and University City.

Police have arrested two homeless men in connection with a rash of bicycle thefts in Rittenhouse Square and University City.

Officers from the Drexel University Police Department responded shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday to a radio call reporting two men stealing bicycles from a rack at 3301 Market St., Philadelphia police said in a news release.

The arriving officers saw the men in possession of two bikes and stopped them after a brief foot chase, investigators said.

Police said the officers soon realized the men closely resembled two suspects caught on surveillance video last Saturday and Sunday stealing four bicycles from a garage at 201 S. 18th St.

Philadelphia police detectives confirmed the men, identified as 30-year-old Robert Kradzinski and 28-year-old John Starson, to be the same suspects shown on film in connection with the previous theft, according to authorities.

Further investigation revealed Kradzinski also stole a mountain bicycle valued at $600 from the 3200 block of Chestnut Street on Wednesday, police said.

Both men are expected to be charged with multiple counts of theft and related offenses.

Contact Alex Wigglesworth at 215-854-2305 or awigglesworth@philly.com. Follow @phila_lex on Twitter.
Contact the Breaking News Desk at 215-854-2443; BreakingNewsDesk@philly.com. Follow @phillynews on Twitter.