Man installs GPS on woman’s car and tracks her, Bensalem police say – NBC10 Philadelphia

A Montgomery County man is suspected of placing a GPS device on the car of a woman he met on an online dating website, stalking her, and cutting off her electricity and internet.

On April 16, 2024, the Bucks County woman reported to Bensalem Police that she returned home from vacation to find that someone had turned off all the circuit breakers in her house and unplugged the internet connection from the wall, disrupting her internet service.

Bensalem police examined the woman’s vehicle and found a magnetized GPS tracking device underneath, investigators said. A detective then obtained a search warrant and seized data from the device and its manufacturer. The account associated with the tracker was then traced to Bustin, according to investigators. Data from the tracker showed that it began transmitting the locations of the woman’s car at her workplace in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on April 5, 2024.

The investigator then obtained workplace surveillance video that shows a man getting out of a black Honda Civic, walking toward the woman’s car, getting on the ground, reaching under the vehicle and then returning to his car, investigators said. Police identified the man as 33-year-old Matthew Bustin of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

The woman had initially told investigators she met Bustin on a dating website. She said after a few meetings, his odd behavior made her feel uncomfortable around him and ended the relationship by blocking him on social media. However, the woman said Bustin continued to text her and showed up unexpectedly.

A search warrant was obtained for Bustin’s cellphone location data. An analysis of the data revealed that Bustin had been near the woman’s home and workplace without her knowledge at least nine times after the relationship ended, police said. He was also near the woman’s workplace, according to investigators, as he was seen lying next to her vehicle on surveillance video.

Police also obtained records from PECO showing that the woman’s home had its electricity turned off between 9 and 10 p.m. on April 14 while she was on vacation. Bustin’s phone was in or near the woman’s home around the same time, investigators said.

A warrant was issued for Bustin’s arrest on charges of burglary, trespassing, stalking and harassment. He turned himself in to Bensalem police on June 1, investigators said. He was subsequently arraigned and taken to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on bail equal to 10 percent of a $2 million bond.

Anyone who may have been a victim of Bustin should contact Detective Connor Farnan at 215-633-3632.

Online court records do not contain any information about Bustin’s attorney.