Pry bar in crashed car led Rostraver police to make arrest in attempted break-in at gun store

A pry bar and screwdriver left behind in a car that crashed near the scene of an attempted burglary at a gun store led Rostraver police to connect an Elizabeth man to the crime, according to court papers filed this month.

Authorities said they identified Kristopher Cerniga, 33, as the culprit after search warrants on his cell phone showed it received a signal from a cell phone tower less than a mile from the Gun Rack on Route 136.

Cerniga surrendered to authorities this week, according to his attorney, Ryan Tutera. He is free on $10,000 unsecured bond on charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief in the Feb. 20 incident.

Around 11:50 p.m., police were alerted to an alarm at the store. Officers said a portable air conditioning unit had been pushed onto the floor and a cage covering a door had been damaged with a pry bar. Video surveillance showed a suspect wearing a face covering running away from the building, according to court papers.

About eight hours later, an off-duty West Newton police officer spotted a car over a steep hillside about 300 yards away from the Gun Rack. No one was inside, the doors were locked and the key was not in the ignition, police said

Police tracked down Cerniga from the vehicle registration and, they say, he admitted to driving it when it slid off the road the previous afternoon and told investigators he called his girlfriend to pick him up, according to court papers.

Officers seized a pry bar and screwdriver from the car through a search warrant. More search warrants on the cell phones of Cerniga and his girlfriend showed seven phone calls between the two from 11:51 p.m. Feb. 20 to 12:19 a.m. Feb. 21. The girlfriend told police she picked him up along Route 136, according to court papers.

“He denies the charges, he denies involvement,” Tutera said.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 28.

Cerniga in June was sentenced to six months probation on a disorderly conduct count, according to online court records. He has faced several minor cases in recent years in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties for retail theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.