Crime & Safety

Stolen SUV, Ransacked Vehicles Were All Unlocked: Police

Moorestown Police are investigating another rash of vehicle burglaries—and one theft—all involving vehicles with unlocked doors.

It was "Christmas come early" for thieves who found an unlocked Lexus with the keys inside in a Moorestown neighborhood Tuesday night.

Moorestown Police said the 2005 Lexus SUV was stolen from a home on Fernwood Road sometime overnight. Lt. Lee Lieber said the thieves rolled the SUV across the resident's front yard—there were tire tracks and footprints in the lawn—"presumably to avoid waking the resident" when they started it, then drove off. 

"Leaving the keys (inside the vehicle) is like Christmas come early to (thieves)," said Lieber.

A separate vehicle at the same house—also unlocked—was entered and ransacked, police said.

Four other vehicles—all unlocked—were also burglarized overnight. Two vehicles on Sawgrass Court were entered and ransacked, and the same with one vehicle on nearby Iverness Drive and on Heritage Road. $50 cash was stolen from one of the vehicles on Sawgrass Court, police said.

Police are urging anyone who may have information or who saw or heard anything suspicious to contact them at 856-914-3092. Those with home surveillance systems are also encouraged to contact police. Lieber said they've solved past cases with the help of home surveillance.

Though police have no leads yet on these most recent vehicle burglaries, Lieber said young people are typically the culprits, oftentimes involving individuals with drug problems who are stealing to support their habit.

The motives for vehicle theft vary, Lieber explained. He recalled a case from two years ago, in which state police and the FBI were able to recover a quite pricey Mercedes SUV—that had been stolen from a Moorestown home—as it was being unloaded from a shipping container in Africa.

As always, police urge residents to remove the keys from their vehicles and lock their doors.

"Historically, that deters (thieves)," said Lieber.

This is the second rash of vehicle burglaries to occur in the last few weeks. Last month, burglars broke into a dozen vehicles in the Laurel Creek development, and in several cases used rocks to smash their way in. That case is still under investigation.

For suspicious activity, contact the Moorestown Police Department at 856-234-8300. Call 911 for crimes in progress. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.