Uxbridge home break-in suspect seen "exercising" before 3 thefts, police say
UXBRIDGE - Police in central Massachusetts say a man breaking into homes is using fitness as a front.
Uxbridge Police are looking into three break-ins in broad daylight in the last week. They say the suspect has been seen "exercising" in the area at the time of each incident. Investigators would not give details on their exact location.
"He appeared to be exercising between and around some of the houses and the residences, so it just seemed out of the ordinary," said Melanie Blodgett-O'Toole of the Uxbridge Police Department. "They basically got a very similar description and very similar behavior from the different locations, so it seems like that's the tie that puts this together."
WBZ-TV spoke to neighbors along Andrews Drive who said a home in their neighborhood had been hit last week.
The 55-plus community is tight knit and now on alert after what happened. Police said each of the three incidents happened in the middle of the day when the homeowners were not around.
"I know that there were thefts in all three of them, I don't know the extent of the items that was taken," said Blodgett-O'Toole.
"I see a lot of people walking out here," said Graysen Mortimer. His parents live on Andrews Drive. "I would say it's a very safe neighborhood. When someone mentioned that there was a burglary, I was quite surprised by that. It's not something I would've anticipated here."
Pat Stephan also lives in the community and said the neighborhood was aware and concerned about the situation.
"We're trying to be more vigilant in our community and have people lock their windows and doors and do what they need to do to try to keep themselves safe," Stephan told WBZ.
Police said a medium/tall, dark-skinned man with a slim build, wearing dark athletic clothing, was observed "exercising" in the area during the time of the break-ins. Investigators are asking people in Uxbridge to go over any garage or doorbell cameras that might have caught something.
Police also asked the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
"We've had some folks come in and call and they're watching their neighborhoods, which is good," said Blodgett-O'Toole.
