An unnamed number of stolen vehicles from Cheltenham Township have been found at Allentown Auto Works & Recycling, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office announced today.

The company is owned by Cesar Garcia-Martinez, 34, of Easton, and was identified as a “chop shop”, an illegal business typically disguised as an auto body shop. Garcia-Martinez has been accused of dismantling stolen vehicles and selling their parts.

The investigation included detectives from the Lehigh County Auto Theft and Insurance Fraud Task Force, Allentown Police Department, Bethlehem Police Department and an agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau. It began when the task force was contacted by Allentown police regarding a stolen Honda Accord seen in the area of North 5th and Washington streets on Wednesday, September 18. 

Detectives searched the shop and found 10 stolen vehicles.

Each vehicle was found in a different state of disassembly, and none of the vehicles had titles or other paperwork. In addition to Cheltenham, they were stolen from New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia, officials said.

Garcia-Martinez is charged with two counts each of owning, operating or conducting a chop shop, disposition of a vehicle or vehicle part with an altered VIN number, and receiving stolen property.

The District Attorney’s press release is below:

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