05/14/2026
Man, 19, charged in theft of truck found at fire scene in northern Berks
Reading Eagle
05/14/2026
A 19-year-old from Tilden Township is charged with stealing a pickup truck that was found at the scene of a fire near Shartlesville on May 1, Tilden Township police announced Wednesday.
Riley E. Hamerly is facing charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Police gave this account:
On May 1 at 7:45 a.m., a Tilden man contacted police regarding a 2017 Ford F-350 that had been stolen overnight from a driveway behind his residence in the 500 block of Hill Drive. The vehicle had been left unlocked with the keys inside.
At around 5:20 p.m. that day township Fire Marshal Troy Hatt informed police of a barn fire at 72 Dogwood Road. The remains of the stolen vehicle were found inside.
Police received a tip and on May 4 met with a witness in Strausstown who provided surveillance video of the stolen vehicle entering the witness’ driveway at 5:34 a.m. and leaving around 5:50 on May 1. The witness recognized the driver as Hamerly.
On May 6, witnesses picked Hamerly out of a photo lineup as being the person they saw the night of the fire near the Dogwood Road property. The next day, township and state police interviewed Hamerly in Berks County Jail, where he was being held on other charges. He admitted to the theft and said he had been told by aliens to do it.
Tilden police filed charges against Hamerly on Monday. He was arraigned by District Judge Kim L. Bagenstose, who set bail at $10,000.
Hamerly is also being held on charges related to a May 2 arrest in an attempted vehicle theft in Perry Township, an assault on Berks County sheriff’s deputies transporting him that day, and an assault of a nurse at Reading Hospital, where deputies had taken him for a medical clearance.
The fire on May 1 was fast-moving and drew a response from several area departments, led by crews from Shartlesville.
Trooper Corey Heimbach with the Troop L fire marshal’s office provided the following account:
Firefighters arrived to find a two‑story barn with side additions engulfed in flames and the roof beginning to collapse. Crews laid a water supply line down the roughly 1,000‑foot-long gravel driveway while tanker trucks shuttled water to the scene. A second alarm was struck to bring additional manpower and tankers, including some from southern Schuylkill County.
About 50 firefighters worked for roughly an hour to bring the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.
The barn was used mainly for storage and did not house animals.
Damage was estimated at more than $250,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
