Joyride in stolen Jeep lands man in Westmoreland County Prison, cops say

A 26-year-old man accused of taking a joyride last month across parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania in a customized Jeep is now temporarily parked in the Westmoreland County Prison.

Frank A. Porter, of Smithton, is being held on $75,000 bond as he awaits a Jan. 15 preliminary hearing for allegedly stealing a customized Jeep Commander in Wilkins Township, stopping to fill up in Murrysville and continuing across the region to Ross Township, according to court documents.

Ryan Irdi, the Shaler man who owns the Jeep, reported it stolen Dec. 17 from the parking lot of 4 Wheel Auto Parts, the Wilkins store where he works as service manager.

“I’m also an administrator with the Pennsylvania Wicked Jeeps Club, so I posted a photograph of my Jeep on the webpage and it was shared by so many people there that no matter where this guy went, police in those jurisdictions were getting reports that it was in their areas,” Irdi said Wednesday. “I have between $12,000-$15,000 in extra equipment added on, so it was easy to spot.”

Those additions include special lifts, front bumpers, mudding tires, a light bar and large roof rack.

Two of Irdi’s four-wheeling friends, John Piplo and Dustin Tichenour , spotted Porter putting gas in the vehicle in Murrysville at the Sunoco station with a Dunkin’ Donuts on William Penn Highway.

Officer Ryan Auvil of the Murrysville Police Department reported in court documents that he was called to the business about 6 p.m. to investigate a driver who pointed a handgun at two men and attempted to run them over after they tried to stop him from leaving in a stolen vehicle.

Tichenour stood in front of the Jeep, while Piplo opened the passenger-side door to talk with Porter about driving a vehicle that had recently been reported stolen, Auvil reported. Porter reportedly replied that it was his girlfriend’s Jeep.

“If it’s your girlfriend’s car, then why don’t you wait here?’” Auvil reported Piplo told Porter.

Porter gunned the accelerator, almost injuring Piplo and Tichenour, Auvil reported.

Porter then reached under the seat and grabbed a 9mm handgun and pointed it at the men before fleeing west on Route 22 toward Monroeville, Auvil wrote.

Porter damaged the vehicle’s ignition in Ross Township, where he ran out of gas, police said. Ross police arrested Porter in another allegedly stolen vehicle that night, when he was placed in the Allegheny County Jail.

Ross police said Porter was carrying Irdi’s vehicle registration for the Jeep as well as another “live round” of ammunition from the 9mm handgun found in Irdi’s vehicle, Auvil reported.

Murrysville police charged Porter with aggravated assault by vehicle, receiving stolen property, carrying a firearm without a license, driving on a suspended license and illegally carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle. Wilkins and Ross police also charged him with vehicle theft, fleeing and eluding, according to online dockets.

Porter, who also lists a former address in North Versailles, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the complaints filed Dec. 26 by Ross police, according to online dockets. He was transferred Dec. 27 from the Allegheny County Jail to Westmoreland County.

Irdi said he has not yet retrieved his vehicle to estimate the damage, but he was happy with the response by area police and his friends.

“It was like a fairy tale how he was being tracked so quickly. It was like having a tracking device with human eyes with all the people making reports everywhere of seeing the vehicle,” Irdi said. “I’m really grateful.”

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.