Police in Region Investigating Series of Burglaries

Local police departments are asking for the public’s help after a series of burglaries last week in which the victim was distracted by someone purporting to be a utility worker while another person ransacked their home.

Police in , Maple Shade and Mount Laurel each reported similar burglaries on Wednesday and Thursday last week. In each case, the victim, an elderly individual, was approached at their home by a man claiming to be a utility worker. The suspect led the resident to their backyard and kept them there for several minutes before leaving.

The victims discovered they had been robbed once they reentered their homes. The objects stolen included cash, jewelry, prescription pills and, in one case, a small black handgun.

Sgt. Lee Lieber, with Moorestown Police, said the department has investigated crimes of this nature before, usually committed by “transients” in the summer, spring and fall.

“These people don’t know jurisdictional boundaries, so we need to make sure we don’t keep to ourselves,” he said, stressing the departments are sharing information with one another in their investigations of these crimes.

There’s no hard evidence to directly tie the three burglaries together, but given the geographical and temporal proximity, as well as the modus operandi of the perpetrators, police believe they may be related.

The description of the suspect in the , provided by an 84-year-old East Second Street resident robbed last Thursday, was of a dark-skinned, clean-shaven white male, about 5 feet 7 inches, wearing a brown work shirt and brown pants and a baseball cap, carrying a notepad or clipboard.

The Maple Shade suspect was described as a white male in his 20s or 30s with acne and facial hair of a “few days growth,” dressed in a navy blue short-sleeve shirt and pants with an embroidered logo over the right chest, holding a clipboard.

In the Mount Laurel burglary, police also described the suspect as a white male, around 20, with facial acne.

Lieber said the cases could be related, even though the suspect descriptions in the Moorestown and Maple Shade/Mount Lauren burglaries don’t match.

“Obviously there’s two people (doing the burglaries), so they may have switched off,” he said.

Lieber and Maple Shade Lt. Jeffrey Hoch warned residents to be wary of people who come knocking claiming to be utility workers or other solicitors and to ask for identification.

“These companies will have a legitimate ID. All our township public works people have photo IDs,” Lieber said. “If anything’s funky, don’t let them into your home.”

“If it’s a Verizon worker, they’ll have a big Verizon truck out front,” said Hoch. “If somebody just walks up out of the blue, with no vehicle, that’s suspicious.”

Hoch said Mount Laurel requires solicitors to carry a license.

Both officers also urged residents not to hesitate to call police if they notice anything suspicious.

“Don’t be worried you’re crying wolf,” said Lieber. “We want to be bothered.”

Residents are urged to contact the Moorestown Police Department immediately at 856-235-0130 if they notice any suspicious activity in their neighborhood or call the police tip line at 856-914-3092.

Call Maple Shade Police at 856-234-8300 and Mount Laurel Police at 856-234-1414, ext. 521, or the confidential tip line at extension 599.