Police Arrest Suspect In String Of Home Burglaries In Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A Riverdale man has been arrested in connection to a series of burglaries police say happened in Howard and Montgomery counties.

The Montgomery County Department of Police stated Wednesday that in July 2026, detectives started investigating a string of residential burglaries in their county.

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Detectives discovered that during these burglaries, the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Anderson Javier Santacruz Gallegos of Riverdale, would knock on the front door of a residence. If no one answered, he would go to the back of the home and force his way into the home, police said.

Santacruz Gallegos primarily targeted jewelry and coins during the burglaries, detectives stated.

After obtaining an arrest warrant, officers found him burglarizing a home in Potomac. When he returned to his vehicle, he was arrested. Officers discovered that a 92-year-old victim was sleeping inside the residence at the time of the burglary, but was uninjured.

Detectives served a search warrant at Santacruz Gallegos' Riverdale home where items of evidentiary value and suspected stolen property were recovered.

These items have also been traced to reported burglaries in Howard County. The stolen items have been returned to their owners, the police department stated.

Santacruz Gallegos was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with additional residential burglary charges. He is being held without bond.