Moorestown Police Address String of Burglaries at Council Meeting

Moorestown Police have increased patrols on the eastern end of town in light of a string of burglaries that have taken place since the beginning of June.

Moorestown Police Lt. Lee Lieber said there have been six burglaries and one attempted burglary since the summer set in. Many of these incidents have taken place between dusk and midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Liber spoke at Monday night’s council meeting to make sure all residents are aware of the situation and to stay alert.

“We’ve received phone calls from people who are concerned,” Mayor Chris Chiacchio said following Monday’s meeting. “People want to know what’s going on and what the township is doing.”

“We have a residential house check program. If you’re going away, you can sign up on the website. There’s a list of burglary prevention tips on the site, too,” Lieber said.

He recommended making the house seem as if it is occupied by leaving the lights on, setting the TV to a timer and cancelling newspaper delivery for the week.

Councilman Greg Newcomer added he felt it was a bad idea to announce your plans on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

“We’ve had crime prevention officers go out and talk to neighborhood groups,” Lieber said. “I can’t understate the value of residents as an extra set of eyes and ears. If you see something suspicious, report it right away. We’d rather come out for something that turns out to be nothing than miss something.”

In the most recent incident, a would-be burglar was thwarted by an alarm that went off as he was attempting to enter a home on Pancoast Avenue. The residents weren’t home, but the attempted burglar still fled.

A similar situation took place in late June on Country Club Drive.

Others haven’t been so lucky.

In recent weeks, jewelry thefts have been reported on Sheffield Drive, Albany Court, Borton Landing Road, Moore Street, Bramley Road and Yorktown Lane.

Although the burglaries have all taken place in the same area, Lieber couldn’t necessarily say all the burglaries are related.

“We’re keeping everything open,” he said.