A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for allegedly stealing dozens of bones, skulls, and human remains from a historic cemetery. Authorities revealed that Jonathan Christian Gerlach was found to have corpses hanging from the ceiling of his home during the investigation.
Gerlach was apprehended Tuesday following a months-long probe into a series of body snatchings at the 200-acre Mount Moriah Cemetery, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Yeadon. He now faces 500 criminal charges related to these grisly burglaries, which began in November.
According to police, Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata—about 90 minutes west of Philadelphia—used extreme methods such as rappelling into mausoleums and prying open underground vaults to remove human remains dating back more than a century.
Authorities tracked Gerlach after an investigator noted his vehicle plates, which showed he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the times when the thefts occurred. On January 6, police conducting surveillance spotted his car inside the cemetery. Gerlach was seen exiting the grounds carrying a crowbar and a burlap bag. Bones and skulls were visible inside his vehicle when he was taken into custody.
Gerlach allegedly admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery and described how he accessed the burial sites.
“In my 30-year career, this is probably one of the most horrific things,” said Yeadon Borough Police Chief Henry Giammarco. “There was an infant among the remains, and as a father and grandfather, that truly tears your heart up. When people are laid to rest, that’s important.”
Later that night, authorities executed a search warrant at Gerlach’s home and a storage unit. They recovered more than 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains.
Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse described the scene: “Very simply, detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. Some of these remains are 200 years old, while others are much newer—one even had a pacemaker still attached.”
Rouse added, “It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, and who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones.”
Investigators also uncovered online activity linked to Gerlach. This included posts in a “Human Bones and Skull selling group,” where a buyer thanked him for mailing “a possible teen” as well as “a baboon and a monkey,” according to authorities. Other social media posts showed Gerlach posing with a skull, captioned, “riding a Harley, and slinging skulls.”
Following a review of the evidence, prosecutors approved a broad list of 500 criminal charges against Gerlach. These charges include burglary, trespassing, abuse of a corpse, theft by unlawful taking of stolen property, and multiple counts related to desecration of burial places and public monuments.
Gerlach is currently being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility on $1 million cash bail. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials noted that additional remains could still be identified. At this time, it is unclear if any of the remains were sold or what motivated Gerlach to collect them.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/10/us-news/police-find-horror-movie-of-stolen-bones-in-alleged-graverobbers-home/