Man Admits to Burglaries in 6 Towns, Including Moorestown

A South Jersey man has pleaded guilty to committing 24 counts of theft and burglary in six towns, including Moorestown, over a 10-month period that ended in August of 2012, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi announced on Tuesday.

Darius Gittens, 56, of Medford, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree theft and 21 counts of third-degree burglary.

The plea comes after a three-one trial last month in which Gittens was convicted on unrelated charges of one count of second-degree theft and three counts of third-degree burglary.

Gittens will be sentenced on all charges on March 3.

Gittens admitted to stealing more than $2 million in jewelry, watches, furs, coins, crystal, silverware, handbags, firearms, camera equipment and other electronics from homes in Moorestown, Haddonfield, Medford, Evesham, Mount Laurel and Voorhees.

He and Geoffrey V. Petit, 51, of Medford, were arrested on Sept. 5, 2012. Petit pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary in exchange for five years probation and 364 days in Burlington County Jail earlier this year.

Most of the thefts occurred at what Bernardi called “secluded upscale homes,” near a golf course or a wooded lot with minimal views, while the homeowners weren’t home.

Gittens and Petit cut phone and alarm wires, and he often smashed rear sliding doors. They also used a police radio to monitor emergency communications.

Once police in the jurisdictions realized the similarities in burglaries, they formed a multi-jurisdictional task force that worked with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate.

There was a break in the case after detectives discovered Gittens’ DNA on a flashlight used in one of the Moorestown burglaries. From there, the investigation shifted to the analysis of more than 9,000 phone calls and text messages, as well as surveillance.

More than 500 stolen items were recovered, but many of them were pawned. Gittens and Petit buried some of them in his yard, and hid others in abandoned buildings in Philadelphia.

The attached image of Darius Gittens was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office