Authorities in Pennsylvania have levelled hundreds of criminal charges against a man accused of a 'horrific' spree of grave robberies from a historic cemetery, after discovering more than 100 pieces of human remains in his car, home, and storage locker.
A Chilling Discovery in Car and Home
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested on Tuesday 7 January 2026 after police in Yeadon, Delaware County, spotted him leaving the Mount Moriah cemetery with a crowbar and a burlap sack. Upon his arrest near his Toyota Rav4, officers reported seeing numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat.
An ensuing search of his residence in Ephrata, roughly 70 miles away, and a storage locker uncovered what District Attorney Tanner Rouse described as a scene from a horror movie. Human remains, including skulls, mummified feet, and headless torsos, were found on shelves, hanging from the ceiling, and scattered in the basement. Among the grisly collection was a skeleton with a cardiac pacemaker still attached.
Months of Alleged Desecration at Historic Site
Investigators believe Gerlach spent months forcing his way into at least 26 mausoleums and underground burial vaults at Mount Moriah cemetery. The historic site, which lacks a perimeter fence, is the final resting place of notable figures including Betsy Ross, the Philadelphia seamstress credited with sewing the first US flag.
Police identified Gerlach as a suspect after licence plate readers repeatedly captured his vehicle near the cemetery, and cellphone records placed him in the area during the thefts. He allegedly told detectives he used the crowbar to pry open a grave on the night of his arrest and admitted to stealing at least 30 sets of human remains on previous occasions.
Hundreds of Charges and Community Grief
Gerlach now faces a staggering 575 criminal charges, including over 100 counts of corpse abuse, theft, burglary, and desecration of venerated objects and historic burial places. A judge has ordered him held on $1 million bail, with a preliminary court hearing scheduled for 20 January.
District Attorney Rouse expressed profound sympathy for families connected to the cemetery, noting that the recovered remains included those believed to be of infants only months old. "I grieve for those who are upset by this," Rouse told reporters. Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco, with three decades of service, stated this case was "probably the most horrific thing that I've seen."
Authorities are now painstakingly working to identify all the remains and determine a motive, with Rouse cautioning that final answers will take 'quite some time'. Jewelry was also recovered, and investigators are probing whether it was intended for sale.
