Police looking for suspects after several garage thefts in Wyndmoor, Philadelphia
WYNDMOOR, Pa. (CBS) -- Police are looking for two people seen on surveillance video breaking into several garages in Wyndmoor after several thefts there and in Philadelphia.
"I started checking my cameras, and then there you go," said Chuck Donal, after his neighbors in Wyndmoor told him about thefts at other homes in the area.
On his home surveillance video, he saw two people on his property just before 4 a.m. Sunday, trying to get into his garage and his house. He said the strangers tried to open the fence into his backyard.
"They put their hand here, they looked over. Obviously, they saw the 'Beware of Dog' sign, because this is lit up at night. Then, they moved over here," Donal said. "They hit the door. But again, that's locked and obviously deadbolted."
Donal said he checked his video after several neighbors on Patton Road near Carlisle Road reported thefts from garages. Donal says everything at his home was locked. He lost nothing, but he was still shaken.
"It's definitely scary. My wife, my child, we're all sitting here," he said. "We're sleeping."
Springfield Township Police in Montgomery County said someone had been breaking into garages in Wyndmoor between 3:00 and 5:30 a.m. over the last several days. Altogether, neighbors reported the theft of 14 high-end bicycles. Officers there said they were also working with police in Philadelphia, where residents reported similar thefts.
Up the street from Donal's house, Carolyn Popvic said she lost three bikes early Thursday morning. She said her garage was latched, but it may not have been locked.
"They took the one bike off that hook. They took the other bike off of the hook here. And the third bike, they took was simply standing here in the middle."
Popvic does not have cameras at her home but found a damaged window into the garage. She said she, her husband, and her small daughter were asleep inside. She said the scariest thing, was that the door from the garage to the inside of the house was also unlocked.
"They may have even gone into our house," Popvic said. "We'll never know."
Homeowners here urge everyone to lock their car doors, lock their garages and windows, and never forget to lock the door leading from the garage to the inside of the home.
Springfield Township Police in Montgomery County ask anyone with information to email detectives@springfieldpd.org or leave an anonymous tip at SpringfieldMontCo.org.
