Lansdale Police. Photo by James Short.
The suspect, identified as undocumented immigrant Jonathan Isaias Avila-Arevalo, of Lansdale, is held on $99,000 cash bail
A 31-year-old man experiencing homelessness was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly breaking into a Lansdale home, attacking and choking a woman in her bedroom, and fleeing with her iPad, according to police and court records.
Officers were called around 2 a.m. on July 27 to a residence along the 300 block of Vine Street, where a 32-year-old woman reported that she had been asleep in her bed when she awoke to find a man she did not know lying on top of her, Lansdale Police Chief Mike Trail told NBC10.
When the victim found Jonathan Isaias Avila-Arevalo, who Lansdale Police confirmed was an undocumented Guatemalan, kneeling on her legs, she jumped out of bed and attempted to go downstairs, per the complaint. However, the Avila-Arevalo allegedly pushed her back against the bedroom wall, and the victim attempted to move past him toward the stairs again.
Then, Avila-Arevalo allegedly put his hand around her neck, choking her throat. He put her in a chokehold, putting pressure on her throat and cutting off her airway, police allege.
Police said the victim screamed and fought back, punching and kicking the intruder as he attempted to strangle her. She was eventually able to punch him in the eye and push him down a staircase, where she kicked him in the face again, per the affidavit.
Avila-Arevalo fled the residence, police said. The victim provided a physical description of the suspect to responding officers, describing him as having black shaggy hair under a baseball hat and wearing a green-yellow windbreaker with a patch on the left shoulder, according to the affidavit.
However, the suspect was not immediately located, police said.
Nine hours later, at around 11:12 a.m., Lansdale Police officers found a man matching the suspect’s description in the area of Wood and Madison Streets, police said.
Avila-Arevalo was positively identified by the victim and found to be in possession of the iPad, police said.
He had a fresh injury near his eye, which police said was consistent with the victim’s account of the struggle.
Police confirmed the defendant is unhoused and undocumented, having entered the United States from Guatemala via Texas in 2023.
Avila-Arevalo has been charged with felony counts of burglary, strangulation, aggravated assault, and criminal trespassing, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, theft, receiving stolen property, and recklessly endangering another person, according to charging documents.
He was arraigned Monday morning and required the use of an interpreter. During the arraignment, a public defender stated that Avila-Arevalo had no prior criminal history and could not afford bail, per NBC10. Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine ordered him held on $99,000 cash bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20 before Levine.
Lansdale Police issued a news release on the incident and arrest Tuesday morning.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
