Two arrested in Palmer over fraudulent fire department check

PALMER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two people were arrested Wednesday after police reported they tried to use a fraudulent check from the Palmer Municipal Fire Department to put a down payment on a vehicle at a local dealership.

Palmer Township Police were notified around 11:43 a.m. by a member of the fire department that someone at Brown-Daub Kia on the 3600 block of William Penn Highway was attempting to pay with a fire department check.

Police said dealership staff contacted the bank to verify the check, prompting the bank to alert a fire department representative, who confirmed it was not legitimate. Officers determined the check used in the transaction listed a fictitious trust fund and the department’s real banking information.

Investigators later learned the same two suspects had attempted to use similar fraudulent checks containing the fire department’s account details on earlier dates. The transactions were immediately flagged as fraudulent, police said.

Police took Joaquin Vasquez Jr. and Megan Hummel Labar into custody without incident. Both were brought to the Palmer Township Police Department for processing, then arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Hawke.

They were committed to Northampton County Prison on $25,000 straight bail.