Note: This story has been updated with additional information from a Crimewatch post shared by the Lower Saucon Township Police Department on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Amid the holiday greetings and salutations that were shared at Wednesday night’s Lower Saucon Township Council meeting came a warning to residents from township police chief Tom Barndt: Be aware of your surroundings and set your alarms.
Barndt issued the reminder in the wake of a residential burglary which he said occurred in the township Monday.
In a Crimewatch post Thursday, police said the burglary occurred in the 1600 block of White Acre Drive around 6:30 p.m.
“Police were dispatched for an alarm activation and while checking the exterior of the home discovered that unknown actor(s) forced entry into the home,” the post said. “At this time it is unknown if anything was taken.”
The chief told council his department is actively investigating the break-in, which he reported bears similarities to a string of unsolved burglaries that occurred in Lower Saucon Township in late 2022, and which he said could be tied to alleged groups of South American nationals who have been implicated in similar-type crimes in other parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond.
Barndt specifically referenced a “Chilean burglary ring” whose alleged members are charged in connection with recent break-ins in affluent Philadelphia suburbs like Lower Merion Township.
“They’ve been hitting the east coast, up and down,” he said.
Barndt said the members of the alleged theft rings typically adhere to a modus operandi (MO) that involves approaching the rear of a home at around 5:30 or 6 p.m.; an MO he said is “very similar to what I described last fall around the holiday season.”
“(They) go to the rear of a house–which is consistent with what just happened down in Abington, Bensalem, Lower Merion, all the way up the line to New Hampshire–and they smash a window or a door, they try to get to the second floor, and they go in, they go through the house, they’re looking for a quick hit and then they get out,” he said. “And they don’t care if there’s an alarm on.”
Due to the active nature of the investigation into Monday’s burglary, the chief did not reveal much information about what happened, but he said his department has “some DNA hits” that investigators have “tracked to another job or burglary that happened up in the Northeast.”
“So we’re still working, and it’s not just our department,” he added.
Both council members and Barndt urged township residents who observe something suspicious to report it to police immediately.
For example, the driver of an unfamiliar car that is “just sitting around doing nothing” should be considered suspicious, said council vice president Mark Inglis.
Rather than approaching the driver of the vehicle, he said residents should call police, because if the person behind the wheel is casing a neighborhood they’re less likely to escape if police respond.
“If you see something, please call us,” urged Barndt. “Do not hesitate to call us. It’s not a burden to us. That’s what why we’re here and we’re here 24/7.”
In addition to calling the department, tips can also be shared with Lower Saucon Police via their Crimewatch site. Anyone with information about or surveillance footage from the area where Monday’s break-in happened is being asked to contact Detective/Corporal Eric Marth at 610-625-8722 or em****@lo*****************.org or to submit a tip through the Crimewatch Tipline.
Barndt also encouraged residents who have home security systems to register them with police, though he cautioned that surveillance is not a “save-all.”
The recent burglary of a Mexican restaurant in Lower Saucon Township was also mentioned during council’s public safety discussion involving Barndt.
A recording of Wednesday’s meeting may be watched on the township’s YouTube channel, on which council meetings are also livestreamed.
Above, Lower Saucon Township Police Chief Tom Barndt addresses council during a meeting Wednesday night. Barndt said his department is investigating a recent residential burglary that could be tied to a South American theft group that is implicated in numerous break-ins in the Philadelphia suburbs. (Credit: YouTube/Lower Saucon Township)
