Two men are accused of swiping more than $1 million in collectibles, art, electronics, jewelry and even taxidermied animals in a burglary spree that covered at least 50 homes from Philadelphia and to the northern and western suburbs.
Leroy Boose of Willingboro, New Jersey, and Anthony McDaniels, of Philadelphia, have been jailed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, since they were first arrested for four burglaries back in February.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said detectives trailing McDaniels witnessed the duo trying to rob a Lower Merion Township home.
The duo is now linked to 50 total heists: 38 in Montgomery County and six each in Delaware County and Philadelphia.
A lengthy multi-jurisdictional investigation linked the men to the other heists using cellphone data that placed the suspects at the scene of each burglary. There were also similarities between the heists including being carried out between in the evenings and that multiple houses being robbed on the same night, according to investigators.
Homes without the lights on or without a car in the driveway were targeted, investigators said.
“In most cases, bedrooms were ransacked, with jewelry taken and a homeowner’s own pillow case was used to carry the stolen goods,” the DA’s office said.
The task force then drew parallels to robberies from 2010, which led them to the suspects, investigators said.
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On Friday, Boose and McDaniels were charged with 41 burglaries and two attempted burglaries related to this case. Boose’s bail was hiked to $3 million while McDaniels’ was increased to $2.75 million. McDaniels had no comment as he was led handcuffed into court Friday.
The DA’s office posted photos of more than 1,000 stolen items recovered from storage units in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in hopes that victims can claim their valuables. The items stolen include jewelry, electronics, antiques, clocks, musical instruments, G.I. Joe dolls, art and taxidermy items.
If you believe you were victimized or you recognize the stolen items, contact Lower Merion Police Officer Dwight Kondravy at dkondravy@lowermerion.org or 610-645-6234.
