Brazen smash-and-grab: $5K e-bike stolen in Summit

🔹 A Philadelphia man is accused of smashing into a Summit bike shop and stealing a $5,000 e-bike.
🚨 Police say surveillance video captured the suspect’s movements before and after the break-in, helping crack the case quickly.
⚖️ The suspect now faces a long list of charges — and was already wanted on active warrants.

SUMMIT — A 46-year-old Philadelphia man with a criminal history was arrested and charged with stealing an expensive electric bicycle from a shop in Union County last weekend.

Overnight burglary in Summit triggers police response to Springfield Avenue shop

It was just after 3 a.m. on Friday, May 1, when Summit police responded to a business on the 300 block of Springfield Avenue for a report of a commercial burglar alarm that was activated.

When police arrived, the alarm was going off, and they found the front door of the business ajar with shattered glass on the ground.

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No suspect was found, but a business employee gave police access to the store’s surveillance footage.

Surveillance video reveals suspect’s movements and stolen bicycle trail

Video shows the male suspect arriving at the store around 2:32 a.m., looking into the store from the outside. He was then seen riding into Glenwood Place on a 2026 black Trek FX+1S bicycle that had been previously stolen out of Pennsylvania, and was later recovered during the investigation.

The man then returned to the store at 2:57 a.m. on foot and used a sledgehammer to break the glass of the front door.

He is then seen on video stealing a light blue Specialized Vado 5.0 electric bicycle, valued at almost $5,000, then riding away toward Springfield Avenue.

Multi-state investigation leads to arrest of Philadelphia man

A multi-layered investigation was launched that included members of the Summit Police Department’s Detective Bureau. Over the course of the next 27+ hours, they worked around the clock to collect evidence, camera footage, and pursue leads in multiple jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania.

On Saturday morning, May 2, detectives and patrol officers arrested Joseph Holman.

Suspect faces multiple charges, including burglary and weapons offenses

He resisted arrest and was slapped with a laundry list of charges, including burglary, theft by unlawful taking, unlawful possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, hindering prosecution, possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, weapons possession for an unlawful purpose, criminal mischief, and certain persons not to have weapons.

Holman also had two active warrants, including one for escaping custody. He was taken to the Essex County Jail, where he will remain until his detention hearing.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Summit Police Department Detective Bureau at 908-273-0051.

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