An Ontelaunee Township man was arrested after police said he broke into the Little Caesars pizza shop in the Shillington Shopping Center over the weekend.
Eduardo MontesDeOca, 26, of the first block of Dries Road was committed to Berks County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail following arraignment Saturday before District Judge Tonya A. Butler in Reading Central Court. Cumru Township police charged him with burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
According to police:
Officer Callan Cress was dispatched Saturday at about 4:45 a.m. for a front‑door burglar alarm at the shopping strip. When the first officer arrived, he saw a man carrying a backpack behind Pet Supplies Plus.
The man — later identified as MontesDeOca — began to run when he saw the cruiser but stopped when Cress activated his emergency lights.
Cress got out of his vehicle and asked why he was running. MontesDeOca replied, “Because I broke property.” When asked where, he said, “At the pizza shop,” adding that he was thirsty.
A second officer then reported that Little Caesars at 502 E. Lancaster Ave. had been broken into.
Cress went to the shop and found the front‑door glass smashed. The cash register, a telephone and other electronic equipment had been damaged, and several bottles of soda had been thrown around inside.
Security video showed MontesDeOca at the front counter, throwing and destroying the equipment.
The manager responded to the scene. Damage was estimated at $10,000.