Tamaqua police charged Ray Seiger Jr., 38, of Quakake, with stealing a credit card that belonged to his former employer and using it to make more than $2,000 in purchases.

According to police, officers were contacted by Nicholas Boyle of Northern Keystone Towing who said Seiger was terminated from his job but using a company credit card. Boyle said he noticed something was wrong when he saw a cigarette purchase made on the card. The company’s credit cards, he told police, are to be used only for gas or other tow truck items.

When Boyle couldn’t find the card, he researched transactions and found that one was made July 4 in McAdoo. Video footage from the convenience store at that time pointed to Seiger.

Boyle said Seiger was terminated on May 25, and the first purchase on the card was made that day. Records show that he made 28 purchases from May 25 to July 8 at businesses in Schuylkill, Luzerne, Monroe and Berks counties.

Police said Seiger sent a message to Boyle on July 24, in which he apologized for doing what he did. In it, he wrote that he lost everything, was kicked out of his parents’ house and wasn’t allowed to stay with his girlfriend if he wasn’t paying bills. Seiger claimed he was starving and needed food, and asked Boyle not to press charges because he would pay him back after receiving unemployment compensation.

Police also charged Seiger with theft and receiving stolen property.