Arrest Made in 2013 Killing of Joseph Canazaro in Hilltown Township

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged in connection with the 2013 killing of 48-year-old Joseph Canazaro at his home in Hilltown Township.

Thomas Delgado, 50, was charged on Wednesday afternoon with felony counts of criminal homicide, kidnapping, rape, burglary, robbery, false imprisonment, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and related conspiracy offenses, following a decade-long investigation by the Hilltown Township Police Department.

Delgado is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail, court records show.

According to a 2023 release from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, two armed men entered Canazaro’s home along the 300 block of Swartley Road just before 10 a.m. on Jan. 18, 2013. Media reports at the time indicate the suspects — one believed to be Hispanic and the other believed to be Asian — gained access to the home through a first-floor window, then proceeded to tie up Canazaro, his girlfriend, and his 12-year-old son.

The suspects reportedly ransacked the home, taking guns, money, jewelry, and bank records before fleeing the scene in Canazaro’s truck. Both the girlfriend and son were able to free themselves and went to a neighbor’s house, where they called 911. However, when police arrived, they found Canazaro dead inside of the home’s garage, investigators said.

Canazaro’s truck was later located at the Quakertown Plaza Shopping Center, where surveillance footage from a neighboring business showed the suspects arriving in the truck, transferring the stolen items into a getaway vehicle, and then fleeing the area.

Reports indicate Canazaro — who owned multiple properties and businesses, including Finn McCool’s Tavern on Penn Street in Hatfield Township — filed for bankruptcy in 2008, with reports indicating he defaulted on loans and owed money to casinos.

At the time of his death, Canazaro owed millions of dollars to creditors, leading police to believe that money may have been the motive for his killing.

This article will be updated once we have received the affidavit of probable cause, which was requested earlier Thursday morning.

Court records show Delgado has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 13 at 1:15 p.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage. Attorney information is not currently listed for Delgado.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.