PHILADELPHIA — Delaware County prosecutors on Friday expanded their already-sprawling case against Jonathan Christian Gerlach, filing new burglary charges tied to break-ins at cemeteries in Luzerne and Lancaster counties.

Gerlach, who was arrested in January, is charged with more than 500 offenses stemming from a series of break-ins in Mount Moriah Cemetery, which spans both Philadelphia and Yeadon Borough.

He faces charges that include burglary, theft, abuse of a corpse, and related crimes.

During a court hearing Friday morning, Assistant District Attorney Brian Denk did not elaborate on the latest charges against Gerlach, and did not immediately respond to a request for further information.

Gerlach appeared in court dressed in a lime-green jail jumpsuit, his long hair pulled back into a bun, exposing tattoos that stretch up his neck to just beneath his chin. He waived his right to the preliminary hearing, a proceeding at which prosecutors present evidence to demonstrate that they have sufficient evidence for a case to proceed to trial.

Denk said that although prosecutors had added two new charges to the case, they also dropped four burglary charges against Gerlach in connection with his alleged crimes in Mount Moriah, contingent on resolving the case without trial.

Gerlach’s attorney, Anna Hinchman, declined to comment on Friday.

Prosecutors have said Gerlach drove from his home in Ephrata to the nearly 200-year-old cemetery, where he vandalized at least 26 mausoleums and underground vaults, pried open caskets, and stole more than 100 human bones and remains. His crimes stretched from late last year until Jan. 6, when Yeadon detectives took him into custody as he emerged from the cemetery carrying bones, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

The cemetery, which opened in 1855 and was abandoned by its last owners in 2011, has large swaths across its more than 100 acres covered by overgrown grass, weeds, and other plants — conditions that may have offered Gerlach cover as he desecrated its burial sites, investigators say.

Authorities connected Gerlach, 34, to the thefts through a combination of license plate and cellphone records and a tipster who identified him as the perpetrator, according to the affidavit.

He may have also tried to sell his stolen wares online, investigators said.

Outside the courtroom Friday, Judy Pritchard McCleary, whose family mausoleum is among those prosecutors say Gerlach targeted in Mount Moriah Cemetery, said she plans to see the case through to the end. “If we just sweep it under the rug,” she said, “it’s going to happen again.”

Gerlach’s case has drawn national attention, and caused an online uproar, with hundreds of social media sleuths and Reddit commenters dissecting the allegations against him.

It’s also caused widespread concern among families with loved ones buried in the cemetery, said Yeadon police Chief Henry Giammarco.

Until the case is resolved, the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office will retain custody of the stolen remains, said Coroner Stephen Diamantoni. No attempts will be made to match the bones to the people whose burial grounds were violated, he said.

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