Burglar On The Loose In Chester County
EAST GOSHEN Twp., Pa. (CBS) -- A burglar is on the loose and a neighborhood is on edge after two homes were broken into in the middle of the night with people still inside.
In a neighborhood where residents say safety concern was rarely an issue, police are now asking residents in the East Goshen Township neighborhood to think again.
"I was painting my garage door and the police department was going around putting these in the neighborhood mailboxes," resident Pat O'Donnell said.
O'Donnell is referring to a handout which detailed two recent burglaries and included a composite sketch of the intruder, described only as a white male between 18 to 20 years old.
"My sons are ages 19 to 25, so they fit the description. They interviewed them, they photographed their shoes."
The woman asked that we don't identify her or her sons who, by the way, were cleared of any involvement in the burglaries.
According to police, both incidents occurred overnight Saturday. The first incident was around 3:30 a.m. on the 1600 block of Williams Way. Police say the homeowner reported that she noticed a light shining under a laundry room door and then saw the door open.
The second incident occurred approximately an hour later on the 1600 block of Manley Road. Police say in this incident, the homeowner was asleep in the first floor bedroom and awoke to a man standing in the hallway.
The houses are about a half-mile apart. Both times, police say the intruder gained entrance through an unlocked door and both times, the intruder ran away empty-handed when confronted by the homeowners.
"As you can imagine, going into an occupied home, this is a great deal of concern for us," Police Chief John Dumond said.
Police have increased patrols in the area, but remind residents to do their part and remember to keep the doors locked at night for starters.
Chief Dumond added, "Any outside lighting they have available to leave that on and any suspicious noises or anything they see out of place to contact 911 immediately."
Police say in addition to the two burglaries, an unlocked car parked on Williams Way was also broken into.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in any of the incidents.
Police say their investigation is continuing.
In the meantime, police ask anyone with information about these crimes or if you think you know the person who looks like the man depicted in the sketch to call the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department at (610) 692-5100.
Reported by Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3
