‘Two and a half hours of torment.' 3 arrested after stealing $27K, a car and jewelry in an armed home burglary

Three suspects are now in custody for a home burglary in January that Chester County officials called a “nightmare.”

The home invasion took place in Berwyn at a couple’s home on South Leopard Road and lasted for hours.

“They were threatened with guns, kidnapped in their very own car and left tied up in their own attic,” Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, Chester County District Attorney, said.

The three men—Louis Armstrong, Julio Mendoza, and Axel Reyes—made it away with the couple’s Mercedes, $27,000 in cash and jewelry.

“At some point, as a way to get out of the house, one of the victims suggested the defendants go to their local business in Berwyn because there were more valuables there. And the defendants did in fact leave—they just took the victims with them,” Barrena-Sarobe said.

Authorities said pictures on cellphones discovered by investigators who tracked down the suspects in Northeast Philadelphia showed the men posing with what they stole.

“These defendants were flagrant. They thought Philadelphia was going to be a safe haven for them,” Barrena-Sarobe said.

The last of the three suspects turned himself in on Wednesday.

The quiet community is now on alert following details of the armed robbery.

“Whenever the victims moved too slowly or whenever they complained or talked back, the defendants threatened to shoot and kill them,” Barrena-Sarobe said

The DA said the suspects even used a photo of the couple’s daughter to suggest that they had kidnapped her and had her hostage.

“Thankfully the victim’s daughter was never in any real danger,” the DA said.

The victims were also not hurt in the robbery, officials said.

While the suspects are behind bars, authorities say they are still under investigation.

“We have evidence that these defendants could have been involved in other crimes like this,” Barrena-Sarobe said.

The DA also had a message for others who think to commit similar acts.

“For those criminals who look outside of Philadelphia and look at the suburbs as a place where they could actually steal things or gain things of greater value—don’t.”

The DA is asking if anyone has any information about these suspects or think they may have been involved in a similar crime to reach out to them.