Man accused of breaking into North Huntingdon Aldi, smashing police cruiser

A man is behind bars after North Huntingdon officers said he used a hammer to break into an Aldi grocery store and shatter the windshield of a police cruiser, according to court papers.

Township police said they were called to the market on Norwin Avenue around 2 a.m. Tuesday for multiple burglar alarms. When they got there, a man, later identified as Angel E. Ortega-Yanez, 32, was seen running from the store, according to court papers.

He reportedly used a hammer to break the windshield of a car an officer was driving before police apprehended him. Investigators said the suspect used the hammer and a pry tool to break in through the front doors and steal two cash boxes, containing about $800, according to court papers.

The cash was found nearby. Surveillance footage from inside the store identified Ortega-Yanez as the burglar, police said. He was arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of burglary, propelling a missile into an occupied vehicle and evading arrest on foot. He was denied bail.

Ortega-Yanez did not have an address or attorney listed in court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 24.