A Lancaster man is facing charges for allegedly breaking into several diners and stealing cash from ATMs and vending machines.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, Dan Tran, 47, was identified as a suspect in a string of similar commercial burglaries across Pennsylvania and nearby states.

The investigation began after police responded to the Bowmanstown Diner in Carbon County for a reported break-in. Officers found signs of forced entry and a damaged ATM in the building. The cash box had been removed.

Roughly two weeks later, on Jan. 13 around 5 a.m., troopers were called to another break-in at the Meadowbrook Diner on Route 209 in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County.

Police said someone had pried open the back door then blocked the front entrance with furniture and cardboard boxes.

Once inside, the burglar used a cutting torch to remove the cash box from the ATM and also took money from a claw machine.

Police later spoke with the ATM’s owner, who said the machine held about $2,960. The damage left it inoperable and it needed to be replaced, at an estimated cost of $2,819.

That same day, forensic investigators took more than 130 photographs of the Meadowbrook Diner crime scene.

As police waited on search warrants, cellular records connected to Tran were obtained and reviewed in early April. Investigators linked Tran’s AT&T phone number to multiple burglaries across the state, using cell tower data and location tracking software.

One analysis placed Tran’s device at the Countryview Diner in Lehighton on Oct. 30 around 2:05 a.m. — the time of another reported break-in. In another instance, cell records showed his phone connected to a nearby AT&T tower 398 times between midnight and 2 a.m. on Jan. 13 — the same time frame as the Meadowbrook burglary.

Tran was arrested Jan. 16 after allegedly breaking into Mandy Jo’s County Corral in Bedford County.

During that arrest, police recovered a Samsung phone with an IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number that matched records tied to Tran’s AT&T account.

Tran is charged with burglary, theft, criminal mischief, and trespassing. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28 before District Judge Colleen Mancuso in Brodheadsville.