2 Officers Recognized For Preventing Glenside Burglary

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —The Abington Township Police Department is recognizing two officers for preventing a commercial burglary on July 23.

At 1:59 a.m. on July 23, Sergeant Joseph Fallon and Police Officer Andres Diaz were patrolling the Glenside section of Abington Township.

They observed a suspicious man in the parking lot of the 7-11 store at Easton Road and Keswick Avenue. Upon seeing the police, the man quickly left on foot.

The two located the man on Keswick Avenue and got out of their vehicle to speak with him.

While speaking with him, Fallon and Diaz observed a pair of work gloves sticking out from his pants. At the same time, a walkie-talkie was sounding in the subject’s hooded sweatshirt pocket.

The walkie-talkie was actively receiving transmissions from an unknown man.

Although the man initially provided false information about his identity, the officers were eventually able to positively identify him. He revealed that he was from Southwest Philadelphia and provided no logical explanation for being in the area.

A records check revealed that the male had an active arrest warrant out of Collegeville for commercial burglary. The suspect was handcuffed and searched.

During the search, the walkie-talkie, a pair of work gloves, a headlamp, rubber gloves, and a pocketknife were located.

Additionally, it was noted that the subject did not have a cell phone, wallet, or car keys. He would not explain to officers how he arrived in the area, or if he was with anyone else.

Further investigation revealed that the subject’s warrant was in connection to Jewelry store burglary earlier this year.

Following his arrest by Sergeant Fallon and Officer Diaz, the suspect was interviewed. He admitted that he was preparing to complete a burglary when he was stopped by the officers.

There are two jewelry stores less than a block from the location of his arrest.

"Officers recognize that it’s hard to know the crimes or events that are prevented through proactive, intelligence-based, community-oriented, policing. But in this particular incident, we know definitively that a commercial burglary was prevented by the excellent police work of Sergeant Fallon and Officer Diaz. The only thing better than commending an officer for excellent police work following a crime is being able to commend them for preventing it," the police department said. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sgt. Fallon and Officer Diaz for their diligent service to the Abington community."