Screengrab via ABC PhiladelphiaAs Pennsylvania cops continue to search for four missing young men, authorities announced the arrest of Cosmo DiNardo. The 20-year-old was arrested on July 10 in Bensalem, about 18 miles northeast of Philadelphia. So far, Di Nardo is being charged in relation to a firearms offense dating back to February 2017, reports ABC Philadelphia. He is being held on 10 percent of a $1 million bail at Bucks County Jail.
Authorities have not said if the arrest is related to the disappearance of Jimi Tar Patrick, Dean Finocchiaro, Mark Sturgis and Tom Meo in the Bucks County area over the last week.
So far, authorities have not said if they believe that the missing men are dead or alive. DA Weintraub has not speculated about whether or not there is a suspect in the case. Anyone with any information about the disappearances is asked to call 215-297-8201. You can contribute a tip online here.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Land at the Center of the Search for the Men Is Owned by Antonio & Sandro DiNardo
Screengrab via CBS Philadelphia
The Bucks County district attorney says that “multiple locations” are being searched in relation to the disappearance of the four boys, reports ABC Philadelphia. One of those is a farmland area close to Route 202 in the Solebury Township, around 45 miles north of Philadelphia.
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That area is thought to be connected to a search that took place in a home along Aquetong Road in the same area on July 9. The Bucks County Courier Times reports that there is another search going on in the 900 block of Wayland Circle in Bensalem. That’s where DiNardo was arrested, reports ABC Philadelphia. Sources told CBS Philadelphia that the arrest “could” be related to the disappearance of the four men.
You can read the documents pertaining to DiNardo’s arrest here:
The Courier Times says that the home in Solebury is owned by Antonio and Sandra DiNardo of Bensalem. Cosmo DiNardo is their son.
2. The DA Has Said That Authorities Believe That Foul Play Is Involved
Screengrab via CBS PhiladelphiaDiNardo being led into Bucks County Jail.
District Attorney Matt Weintraub told the media on July 10 that his office believes that foul play is involved in the disappearance of the four men. Weintraub said, via ABC Philadelphia, “It sure would seem so. It sure would seem so. I sure believe there is. We’ve been treating this from the outset as a criminal investigation, and nothing has deterred that to this point.”
DA Weintraub told NBC Philadelphia when asked about a possible connection between the DiNardo family and the disappearances, “We have reason to believe that there might be fruitful information that can be gained from them. I can’t say specifically.”
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When asked what authorities were looking for in Solebury, Weintraub said, “We’re not exactly sure what we’re going to find there.” The Bucks County Courier Times reports that the FBI is involved in the search for the four men.
3. A Neighbor Described DiNardo as ‘Pretty Nutty’; While the Gun Charge Was Related to Mental Health Laws
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Speaking to the Trentonian, a neighbor of the DiNardo family in Bensalem described the arrested man as “pretty nutty.” That neighbor said, “He used to walk around her in camouflage with a gun hunting squirrels. He’s a scary kid.”
The Morning Call reports that DiNardo’s gun charge was in relation to a violation of mental health laws. The newspaper says that DiNardo was found in possession of a Savage Arms 20 gauge shotgun and ammunition. Under Pennsylvania law, DiNardo was forbidden from owning the gun because he had once been committed to a mental health hospital.
He had initially been charged in February with the offense being dismissed in May 2017.
Philly.com reports that Tom Meo’s car had been found in a garage Aquetong Road in the Solebury Township. A neighbor told the Trentonian about the significance of that find, “There’s no way there’s a car left in that garage by someone who’s not familiar with this property. It’s so dense in there. There’s tree stands in there for hunting. There’s an old, abandoned car back there from the 40s. It’s as thick as mud in there and I’ve been through it.”
4. Sturgis’ Father Described His Son & Tom Meo as ‘Just Really Good Kids’
Screengrab via NBC Philadelphia
Mark Sturgis was last seen with Tom Meo. ABC Philadelphia reports that Sturgis’ car was found in Peddler’s Village, 6 miles east of where Sturgis and Meo were last seen. The pair are friends on Facebook.
NBC Philadelphia reports that Sturgis and Meo became friends while they worked for Sturgis’ father, Mark Potash’s, construction company. Potash told the Philadelphia Inquirer that when his son didn’t show up for work he “thought maybe they had a night of drinking and slept somewhere. That was my hope.”
Potash went on to describe his son and Meo by saying, “They are just really good kids. I can’t even begin to imagine. At this point, as the hours pass, it seems more and more grim.” A former colleague of Meo’s echoed those statements to the Inquirer, “He was like an easygoing person, he was a really nice dude. He’d get along with any single person.”
Sturgis mother, Amb Ro Clark, has been frantically updating her Facebook page with updates about the search for her son. Clark says that her family is offering a reward for information and that Tom Meo is a diabetic. Potash told the Inquirer that Sturgis had grown up with his mother but was living with his mother at the time of his disappearance.
NBC Philadelphia reports that the alarm was first raised for Jimi Tar Patrick on July 5 when he didn’t show up for work. The station, citing family members, said that his absence without calling was extremely unusual.
The NBC Philly story adds that there are reports that all four of the men knew each other.
5. Dean Finocchiaro Has Been Arrested Multiple Times
Fox Philadelphia reports that Dean Finocchiaro has been arrested multiple times in the past. Those charges include assault, driving under the influence and drug possession.
Finocchiaro is shown on his Facebook page to be a motorcycle riding enthusiast. He is a native of the Middletown Township. His social media page offers no evidence of a relationship with the other four missing men. NBC Philadelphia reports that Finocchiaro was an acquaintance of Sturgis and Meo.
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