A string of nearly a dozen car break-ins in one night in a suburban Philadelphia township put neighbors on edge and prompted police to issue a warning to residents.
Cheltenham Police Lt. Dan Farley, who heads the patrol division, said that overnight on Monday, Labor Day, into Tuesday, police received 11 reports of people's cars being broken into around the eastern edge of the township, in the eastern part of Elkins Park and Rowland Park neighborhoods.
Farley said between Friday, Sept. 2 and this week, they've received about one or two break-in reports a night, except for the spike earlier this week.
"Be vigilant," Farley warned. "Don't hesitate to call 9-1-1."
Farley said that the vehicles broken into were generally left unlocked, and in many cases, had something valuable -- like a GPS or an iPod -- in plain sight. In some cases, the thief or thieves rifled through people's glove compartments. In many cases, they stole loose change in addition to any valuables left in the cars.
Farley said police increased patrols in the areas hardest hit by the break-ins, but that they haven't yet come up with any suspects. He asked that people keep an eye out in their neighborhoods for suspicious activity and report anything they see to the police right away.
"We're asking for help from the community," Farley said. He said the break-ins haven't been centered on any specific block and seem to be random throughout eastern Elkins Park and Rowland Park.
Residents of Cheltenham have taken to the "Unofficial Cheltenham Township, PA" Facebook page to express concern over the break-ins, and the police department also posted a message on its Facebook page advising people to lock up their cars and avoid leaving valuables in them.
A neighbor from Rowland Park who asked to remain anonymous described the break-ins in the neighborhood as "out of control lately." The neighbor said both homes and cars have been hit.
Farley said the uptick in break-ins is unusual for the neighborhoods.
"There's always a certain amount of property crime, to have one or two in the overnight hours is really not that unusual," he said. "But to have 11 is, for sure."
