MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Police across the Philadelphia suburbs are warning about an uptick in burglaries and break-ins of high-end homes.
Detective Sgt. Troy Hummel says Abington police have received several burglary reports from the Meadowbrook and Rydal sections of the township now that it gets dark earlier.
“That's when these groups are most active,” he said, “it's in that first couple hours of dusk, twilight.”
Hummel says the people they believe are responsible for the break-ins watch homes for hours or even days to figure out when the residents are not home, and they try not to confront homeowners.
He says they’ll pose as a pizza or food delivery person and knock on the door, or in one case, even toss pebbles at an upstairs window to see if there’s a response.
Hummel says the break-ins are typically done by smashing a window or door in the rear of the home. Burglars, he says, will typically target the main bedroom, as that’s where most valuables are kept, so he recommends storing jewelry or other high-priced items in another room.
Abington police say the rise in burglaries coincides with a national trend of “crime tourists,” committed by people from South America or Eastern Europe. They will often use rental cars with out-of-state plates, especially Florida or New York. They say a driver will drop off two or three people, drive around the neighborhood, and then return to pick them up when they’re done.
Hummel advises using house timers and parking your car in the driveway and in front of the home to make it look like someone’s there.
Hummel says Abington police are upping patrols in the neighborhood. He says if you are out and about and see a car or person in your neighborhood you don’t recognize, call 911.