The Warlocks Motorcycle Club (also sometimes distinguished as the Harpy Warlocks or Philly Warlocks) is a one-percenter

outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of Cruiser (motorcycle), cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and chopper (motorcycle), choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate fre ...

that was formed in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1965. It was the first official 1%

founded in

. The club is most prominent in and has significant territory in

, Delaware County,

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

, and Wilmington, though they also have a heavy presence in the nearby

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

. There are now chapters all throughout Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, as well as

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The club's insignia is a

Harpy In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions They were generally depicted as birds with the hea ...

, which in Greek and Roman mythology, was a female monster in the form of a bird with a human face. Their colors are Red and White. The club rapidly expanded at the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

when thousands of soldiers returned home to the United States, many to Pennsylvania.

Criminal activities

In December 1988, individuals associated with the Warlocks kidnapped the then

Breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

chapter president Craig "Coyote" Gudkneckt in retaliation for several Warlock members being jumped by Breed members in a Bensalem bar. Gudkneckt was taken to the home of a Warlock where he was tied up, beaten and

pistol-whipped Pistol-whipping or buffaloing is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as an improvised club. Such a practice dates to the time of muzzle loaders, which were brandished in such fashion in close-quarters combat once the weapon ...

. Gudkneckt escaped. On May 6, 1995 Police Sgt. Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez of

Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey Franklin Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 16,820, reflecting an increase of 1,354 (+8.8%) from the 15,466 counted in the 2000 census. Franklin Township was fo ...

pulled over Warlocks members Robert "Mudman" Simon and Charles "Shovel" Staples on a traffic stop moments after the two had committed a commercial burglary. Simon shot Gonzalez twice, in the head and neck, and Gonzalez died instantly. Simon later said he shot Sergeant Gonzalez because he did not want to return to prison. Simon was quickly apprehended, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to death. At the time of Gonzalez's murder Simon was barely three months out of jail and on parole after a 1981 conviction for killing a woman in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. In 1999, Simon was stomped to death by Ambrose Harris, another death-row inmate, in New Jersey's Trenton State Prison. Harris argued self-defense, and was acquitted. In 2006, Tommy Zaroff, born about , a former President of the

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

chapter of the Warlocks was arrested on suspicion of possessing ten pounds of

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

, and was sentenced to at least five years after pleading guilty to charges including distributing a controlled substance, profiting from illegal acts and conspiracy. On February 4, 2009, Daniel "Dirty Dick" McElheney, born about , was arrested under his alias Richard McElheney, after his home was raided by police. Police seized six rifles, ten handguns and various illegal drugs. In October 2008,

State Attorney General Tom Corbett alleged that the Warlocks motorcycle club is involved with a

manufacturing operation based in

Berks County Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River ...

. The sting was dubbed "Operation Underground". Corbett said the operation manufactured and distributed $9 million worth of

throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and possibly (supplied) to members of the Warlocks motorcycle club, which has allegedly been linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. "The Warlocks have been the subject of other investigations, and we will continue to investigate the Warlock-Spadafora meth connection," Corbett said. He added that the investigation is continuing and he expects more arrests. There were no Warlocks arrested or charged at the time of this press release.Shooting target found in Berks County meth raids looks like a police officer (WITH VIDEO)
/ref>

References

External links/sources

The Original Warlocks MC

Text from New Jersey State Commission of Investigation report on outlaw motorcycle gangs, as posted on New Jersey Mafia website

Warlocks v. Warlocks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warlocks Motorcycle Club 1965 establishments in Pennsylvania Outlaw motorcycle clubs Gangs in Pennsylvania Gangs in Philadelphia Gangs in New Jersey Motorcycle clubs in the United States