Collingswood Residents On Edge As Suspect Accused Of Home Invasion, Setting House On Fire Remains On Loose
COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- Police in South Jersey have stepped up patrols after a disturbing home invasion was revealed after a house was set on fire. A report of a fire Sunday afternoon led to a disturbing discovery on a dead-end street in Collingswood.
Police are investigating the possible home invasion and arson case at a home right next to Cooper River Park.
"All of a sudden I saw smoke coming out of the house over there," one neighbor said.
Firefighters arrived on the 200 block of Crestmont Terrace to find a woman outside a burning home. She told them there was a person trapped inside the residence.
First responders rescued a man and soon found he had suffered injuries from an alleged home invasion.
The woman who lives next door says one of the victims is her daughter. At first, she was willing to talk about the incident and then changed her mind.
"You know the perpetrator is still out there and I'm still pretty scared about the whole thing," the victim's mother said.
The female victim was allegedly bound by the suspect and freed herself in time to escape the fire. The man was allegedly too injured to get outside on his own.
"They knocked on the door and I guess they pushed their way in and then they stabbed the fella," neighbor Catherine Conaghan said.
Conaghan, who lives across the street, spoke to the victim's family before Eyewitness News did. She says everyone in town is nervous.
"Doesn't matter that you never had any problems. You can always have a problem I guess, but yeah, it's scary. It really is," she said.
Police are asking everyone to be on their guard until they get a better idea of what exactly happened.
If anyone has home security cameras, police ask that you check them for anything unusual going on between 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday.
"Just keep in mind it might be something small that you might not think much of but it might be very critical in the investigation. So anything out of the ordinary or suspicious please report that to the police department," Collingswood Police Chief Kevin Carey said.
Police say the suspect is a man with a short beard, wearing a yellow winter hat and a yellow and black zip-up sweatshirt.
Anyone with information about the attack is urged to call the Camden County Prosecutor's Office or Collingswood Police.
