Ross Twp. Distraction Burglary Caught On Tape, Police Seeking Suspects
ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Ross Township police say they're fortunate to have a bit of surveillance video from a neighboring home that shows the getaway truck and one of the suspects involved in a distraction burglary.
"The elderly victim we believe was targeted," said Ross Township Police Sgt. Ben Dripps. "These are what we call transient, nomadic burglars. They use distraction techniques."
Police say on Monday, June 15 around 1:30-2 p.m., the man in the video surveillance is seen walking along Seibert Road. He then approaches a woman in her yard and tells her he is installing a fence at a neighbor's home and asks if she would show him the property lines.
"Roughly 20 minutes later, the individual leaves, hastily. You can see that in the video she enters the home and realizes that someone has been in there and they had the time to take a full safe," said Dripps.
In fact, police say the safe can vaguely be seen in the bed of the truck. Police believe the suspects were casing the house and knew when to hit. Sgt. Dripps says these distraction burglaries are happening in other communities as well, but they are hard to solve and it's tough to identify the suspects.
"In this particular case, we're talking about a white male, 50-60 years old, graying hair, beard. He was tan, dark skin, possibly Italian," said Dripps.
One thing police point out in the video is that one vehicle in particular is forced to stop behind the pickup truck.
"What we're hoping for by releasing this video is that anyone who may have been traveling along that road, Siebert Road, during that time, this vehicle or the suspect in question may have stood out to them," Dripps said.
Ross Township Police say there have also recently been distraction burglaries in West Deer and Adams Townships. If you have any information that could help police, you're asked to give them a call.
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