A woman is speaking out after she fought off a man accused of burglarizing several Upper Darby homes within the span of a few weeks.
"I'm not safe, my kids are not safe," said the woman, who did not want to be identified. "This man literally walked up in my house. He violated me and my family."
The 44-year-old woman was sleeping inside her home on the 6800 block of Clover Lane Tuesday around 4:20 a.m. Her two adult children and 9-year-old daughter were also asleep.
According to police, a burglar broke through the woman's window. He first spotted the woman's 25-year-old son who had his cellphone on his chest as he slept. The burglar snatched the man's phone and then went into the woman's room as she slept with her daughter, police said.
The woman told NBC10 her dog, who was also inside the room, started growling which woke her up. That's when she saw the intruder.
"He's in my house and he's not supposed to be there," the woman said. "He scared the crap out of me."
The woman said she grabbed her cellphone but the man wrestled it away from her and started to attack her. The woman fought back however and started swinging.
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"My daughter jumps up because she hears me yelling," the woman said. "I guess he realized she was there and that's when he runs out."
The burglar pushed the woman down and ran off with her cellphone as well as an iPad, her son's phone and a wallet containing $120 and credit cards, according to police.
Police said the same suspect burglarized four other homes in the Stonehurst section of Upper Darby Township during the early morning hours.
“The method of operation is the same and the description that we’ve gotten on a couple of these burglaries is the same,” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.
The four other burglaries occurred the following times at the following locations:
- September 20, 4:23 a.m. on the 700 block of Shelbourne Road
- September 27, 4:04 a.m. on the 6900 block of Guilford Road
- October 3, 4:59 a.m. on the 7000 block of Clover Lane
- October 4, 2 a.m. on the 7200 block of Clinton Road
During each burglary, the suspect entered through the windows of the homes after stealing phones, iPads, wallets or purses.
“It doesn’t matter if your window is locked or if it’s open, he’s getting in,” Chitwood said. “We recovered a small pinch bar from one of the locations. Our concern is that this guy is becoming more brazen. Certainly three burglaries in the last four days is kind of concerning to us and we’re fearful that this may escalate into some type of physical confrontation.”
The burglar's latest victim told NBC10 he not only stole her belongings, but also robbed her of her sense of security.
"I'm angry right now," the woman said while in tears. "I'm really angry."
The suspect is described as a man in his 20’s standing 6-feet-tall. Chitwood also said he was wearing dark clothing and a hooded sweatshirt.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Upper Darby Police at 610-352-7050.
