Internet Dating Ends In Stalking For Bensalem Victim
In a story that could have been taken straight from a movie script, a Bensalem woman can rest a little easier thanks to the Bensalem Police Department. Through their work, 33-year-old Matthew Bustin of King of Prussia turned himself into Township Police on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Bustin had just posted bail on March 22, 2024, on an open Stalking case out of Lehigh Valley from March 4th.
On April 16, 2024, the victim reported suspicious activity to Bensalem police. Upon arriving home from a vacation, the victim noticed unsettling signs of intrusion. She found that all the circuit breakers in her home had been switched off, and the internet connection had been physically disconnected from the wall, effectively cutting off her internet service.
She would tell police that she met Bustin on a dating website, but after a few meetings, she felt uncomfortable when odd behavior arose. She ended their relationship with him and blocked him on social media, but he continued to text her and show up unexpectedly.
Bensalem Detectives examined the victim’s vehicle, and a magnetized GPS tracking device was found on its undercarriage. Detectives would then file a search warrant to recover data from the device and its manufacturer.
The account associated with the tracker would prove to be Matthew Bustin. The tracker’s data showed that it began transmitting the locations of the victim’s car on April 5, 2024, at her workplace in Montgomery County.
Police then obtained the surveillance video from the business and observed a male get out of a black Honda Civic, walk towards her car, lie on the ground reach underneath the vehicle, and then return to his car. The male and the Honda Civic matched the description of Matthew Bustin and the car he drives.
A search warrant was obtained for Matthew Bustin’s cell phone location data which would then show that Matthew Bustin was in the area of the victim’s home and workplace on at least 9 occasions without her knowledge after the relationship had been ended. The data also showed that Bustin was at the victim’s workplace when the male was seen lying next to her vehicle on surveillance video.
Records obtained from PECO would show that the power to the victim’s home was turned off between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Sunday, April 14, 2024, when the victim was on vacation. Bustin’s phone location data placed him at or near her residence in the same timeframe.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Matthew Bustin, who was charged with Burglary, Criminal Trespass, Stalking, and Harassment.
District Justice Lisa Gaier arraigned Matthew Bustin and remanded him to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $2,000,000 bail. Bustin was unable to post bail.
His preliminary hearing is set for June 12th, before Judge Joseph Falcone. This will be a busy day for Bustin as he is also due to appear before Judge James Anthony at 9:30 am for a Bail Recovaction Hearing in his Lehigh Valley Stalking case.
The Bensalem Police Department would like to know if anyone else has been harassed or stalked by Matthew Bustin and urges you to come forward to make a report. Contact Detective Connor Farnan at (215) 633-3632.
Source: CRIMEWATCH®