FALLS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) – One of the latest victims in a rash of pillowcase burglaries across our region shared her frightening ordeal exclusively with Eyewitness News.

The grandmother came face-to-face with the thief in her home in Falls Township.

The victim volunteers for the local soup kitchen so she says she was out grocery shopping for the homeless when someone broke into
her home apparently just minutes before she returned home.

“I came in and I could hear the noise upstairs.”

For her protection, she asked that we don’t identify her.

“I said who’s there? Who’s there? And he came running down the steps and ran right out. I was like right here.”

It appears the thief knew exactly what he wanted. He headed straight for her bedroom and took just about every piece of jewelry she owned and treasured.

“Oh terrible, terrible. I’m shaking now a little bit but I was really shaking bad.”

Turns out, the bandit filled her pillow case with the stolen goods and got away. While Falls Township police have not yet told us they believe this is connected to other burglaries in the area, this is the fourth time this month alone, we have been on home burglaries where the thieves broke into homes for jewelry.

Police told us they’ve seen an uptick in these crimes in recent months in the tri-state area because of the rise in gold prices.
Whatever the reason this latest victim wonders why it happened to her. But she says she still considers herself lucky.

“I came in through my garage door. If I had come in the front door and he’s coming down the steps, he could have knocked me over to get out of the house. So I was very fortunate that way”

Unfortunately though, she says because it happened so fast, she did not get a good look at her intruder’s face. She did recall he was a black male, about 5’9” with a medium build wearing at the time a black sleeveless top with grey sweatpants.

Her neighbors also told police they saw him run to a getaway car waiting down the block with two other males waiting inside the car.

Falls Township police are investigating.