A Bethel Park man was charged last week with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of construction tools and equipment from sites throughout the South Hills, Washington County and elsewhere.

Bethel Park police said they caught Andrew McQuiston, 31, on Friday as he left a townhouse under renovation on Library Road after a neighbor called about someone breaking in.

He was carrying tools stolen from the site, Chief John Mackey said.

A subsequent search of his house on Grandview Drive turned up numerous stolen pieces of equipment in the basement, in other parts of the house and even in the driveway.

Police aren't sure what he planned to do with it all or how Mr. McQuiston gained access to the various sites.

It's also not clear if he worked alone in all the cases, although he was alone on Friday.

The tools included such heavy-duty equipment as pipe-benders, compressors and propane heaters stolen from sites in Bethel Park, Peters, Hampton and, in one case, from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

The stolen goods are being held at a storage facility until police can match them up with the owners. The items recovered so far are worth at least at $200,000, police said.

Mr. McQuiston is free on bond pending a preliminary hearing next week.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.