Baltimore's Mount Washington residents are on edge after string of home break-ins

A string of burglaries and attempted break-ins has left Baltimore's Mount Washington neighborhood on edge.

Baltimore Police confirmed five different streets in Mount Washington that have been targeted in just the last two weeks. Now, the department is looking for a person of interest who was caught on camera approaching multiple homes in the community.

"People are scared," said Jenny Turniansky, who has lived in her Mount Washington home for two years. "People are worried that they're next. There's a lot of cries out to the community for help and for justice."

Police patrols have been bolstered after several attempted break-ins were reported in the past few weeks, according to a city councilman. 

Councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer took to Facebook Tuesday to raise concerns about the rise in crime and to call on residents to share information that could aid in the investigation. 

Mount Washington sees multiple break-ins 

According to Councilman Schleifer, there were five break-ins and several attempts reported in the Mount Washington neighborhood between July 30 and Tuesday, August 12. 

Data from the Baltimore Police Department shows that there were seven burglary cases reported in the neighborhood between August 1 and August 7. 

On August 1, a burglary was reported in the 2500 block of Whitney Avenue. Two cases were reported in the 5700 block of Pimlico Road on August 1, two burglaries were reported in the 2000 block of Carterdale Road on August 7, and two more were reported in the 6100 block of Eastcliff Drive on August 8. 

During July, a total of five burglaries were reported in the Mount Washington neighborhood, according to police data. In June, another five cases were reported. 

According to Councilman Schleifer, police obtained photos of a suspect, but they are not able to identify the person using the technology due to facial recognition restrictions in Maryland. 

Baltimore police will deploy officers to patrol the neighborhood overnight, around the times when the previous break-ins occurred, Schleifer said. Patrol and tactical units have also been directed to increase their presence in the neighborhood. 

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to call 911. 

"Entire house was completely trashed"

Jenny Turniansky told WJZ she left her home to go to work in the afternoon on August 1. She then picked up her infant son from daycare and drove home, only to find someone had broken into her home through her basement window.  

"My entire house was completely trashed," Turniansky said. "It looked like a daycare full of toddlers had just gone around and thrown everything on the ground. One of the things I lost was my grandmother's ring that she gave to me on her deathbed. And there's not a price you can put on something like that."

The burglary also shattered her peace of mind, especially since she has a young son and a family.

"My first thought was that I was going to die and that I would do anything to protect my son," Turniansky said.

The family says they also lost other precious family heirlooms, as well as her engagement and wedding rings.

Her husband, Yitzi, was visiting family 10 minutes down the road and raced home when he heard what happened.

"I had no idea whether they were still in the house or not, and I knew she was there with the baby. It was very scary," Yitzi Turniansky said.

Other neighbors say they are on edge and trying to stay alert, adding that something like this typically doesn't happen in this neighborhood.

"Nothing like a string of robberies like this," Justin Pearce said. "I think it's just made us a little bit more vigilant about making sure our alarm system is on, our windows are locked, doors are locked when we leave the house. Just keeping an eye out more."

Break-ins in Baltimore

In July, Baltimore reported 319 burglaries across the city, only a slight decline from the 323 cases reported in June, data shows. 

Between June 1, 2024, and August 31, 2024, the city recorded 409 victims of break-ins and robberies, police data shows. 

According to the latest data, break-ins and burglary cases have nearly tripled every year since 2021.