HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Police arrested and charged a man they say followed and robbed a victim on a Luzerne County Transportation Authority bus.
According to the Hanover Township Police Department, in April 2022 Matthew Lange, 36, got onto a Luzerne County transit bus near Public Square in Wilkes-Barre and sat near a man.
Police say through surveillance footage they saw Lange staring at the man’s pockets during the bus ride.
Detectives said when the man got up to leave the bus near Lee Park Towers, Lange followed behind him and forcefully removed an envelope from the victim’s pants that had money inside it.
As stated in the affidavit, Lange then fled around the bus and began to remove his clothes near a cemetery across the street.
On January 3 officers saw Lange walking along West Divison Street and Carey Avenue and knew he was wanted on an outstanding warrant. Police say they also seized two suspected heroin/fentanyl packets stamped with “Funky Monkey” with a monkey pictured.
Lange has been charged with robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, disorderly conduct, and harassment for the April incident. He also faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for the drugs found when Lange was arrested.
He remains in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on a $100,000 bail.
