String Of Burglaries In Moorestown Has Community On Edge
By Elizabeth Hur
MOORESTOWN, NJ (CBS) -- A neighborhood in Burlington County once again becomes the target of thieves.
Another attempted burglary in Moorestown has residents and police on high alert.
"It's horrible. We actually contacted the homeowner," Gail Stewart recalled.
Lt. Lee Lieber with Moorestown Police added, "The alarm, we feel, thwarted the burglary."
According to police, the latest homeowner fell victim last Friday night, becoming the eighth home hit since June:
6/9 – Unit block of Cortlandshire Drive
6/16 – 700 block of Yorktown Lane
6/20 – 100 block of Country Club Drive (Attempt)
6/21 – Unit block of Bramley Road
7/26 – 900 block of Borton Landing Road
8/10 – 800 block of Albury Court
8/12 – Unit block of Sheffield Drive
8/15 – 100 block of Pancoast Avenue (Attempt)
"Usually, they're not actually targeting a specific house. They're looking for a house that's dark. They'll stop, knock on the door, nobody answers and they'll burglarize the residence," Lt. Lieber said.
He went onto explain, "Upwards, $200,000 worth of jewelry has been taken so far. The timing seems to be Fridays and Saturdays from dusk to midnight. The homes that have been burglarized have all been empty. The residents were away."
RJ Meagher was away when his home was burglarized. "Our master bedroom was hit and our bathroom and all the drawers were pulled out."
Meagher calls it lesson learned, and he's not alone.
"I've bolstered my alarm system and am in the process of installing security cameras," Meagher said.
Stewart added, "For us, we put in a new motion sensor light and we're more careful to keep the doors locked."
Police say also consider signing up for the department's Nixle and Twitter alerts. If you do leave, make your home look occupied, set your alarm, put your lights on a timer and stop your mail.
"We have a house check program that's available for the residents. If you're going away, you can sign up either online or you can email the police department or call by phone if you have to," Lt. Lieber said.
Police say they've stepped up patrols in the area and are working closely with police from neighboring agencies. In the meantime, police stress, alert neighbors are the best defense against burglars.
"Quite often, it's somebody calling seeing something out of the ordinary that looks suspicious that ends up solving the case," Lt. Lieber explained. "We want the people to be our eyes and ears, I can't underestimate that fact."
You may also be interested in these stories:
