Nuo Chen, 31, of New York, faces a July 29 formal arraignment hearing after being accused of stealing an urn containing the ashes of an Upper Moreland Township woman’s deceased daughter and holding it for ransom, The Pottstown Mercury reported.

According to their coverage, Chen waived his preliminary hearing on felony charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft by extortion. He remains in the county jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

The Mercury reported in June that Chen had worked at the victim’s Bensalem, Bucks County, nail salon and claimed she owed him $8,000. The urn is valued at $2,000, according to the victim.

Chen allegedly threatened to “smash things in the store” and pushed the victim during a visit to her nail salon. She called Bensalem police who came to the salon and ordered Chen to leave. He went to the woman’s home from there, The Mercury said.

An investigation began on June 12 when Upper Moreland police responded to a residence in the 200 block of Gilpin Road in Willow Grove for a report of a theft, The Mercury said. A woman reportedly told police that Chen had entered her home to steal the urn. Police said he was caught on video leaving the home with “a dark colored box”.

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