The three men were trying to steal copper pipes and other metal from the house but the homeowner came home and prevented them from driving away.
HADLEY - A Hadley resident returning to his home on Hockanum Road just after 11:30 a.m. Friday pulled in to his driveway just as a 3 men in a truck filled with metal items stolen from his house were pulling out, police said.
The man blocked the truck in and immediately called police on his cell phone, and two of the three men in the truck got out and ran into the woods, according to police. The house is located on Hockanum Road near the 400-acre Skinner State Park
State police officers from Northampton and Springfield, and local police from South Hadley, Northampton and Amherst aided Hadley police in a search of the area. Also aiding in the search were state Department of Conservation and Recreation rangers.
Just before 4:30 p.m., a South Hadley police detective spotted two men who matched the descriptions of the two suspects getting onto a Five Colleges bus, police said.The bus was stopped and all its occupants kept inside until Hadley police could arrive. It was not disclosed where the bus was stopped.
The three men will be charged with larceny of more than $250, daytime breaking and entering, and damage to personal property. Hadley police were not releasing their names until charges are filed.
Police checked the Hockanum Road house and found that the men stole copper pipes that had just been installed as well as several steel and metal items that had been in the yard. Police said the men likely intended to sell it all as a scrap.