Police say dozens of unlocked vehicles in the two townships were burglarized in late night and early morning hours of Feb. 2 into Feb. 3.
In what has become an increasingly common refrain from local police in recent years, residents are once again reminded to lock their car doors and remove any valuables when leaving their vehicles for the night.
These warnings come from the Evesham Township and Mt. Laurel Township police departments, which each recently responded to criminal incidents near the border of the two townships where dozens of unlocked vehicles were burglarized in the late night and early morning hours of Feb. 2 into Feb. 3.
According to police, Evesham incidents took place in the northern end of town in the Woodsteam and Ravenscliff developments, while Mt. Laurel incidents took place in southern end of town along areas such as Amberfield Drive, Summit Road and Preamble Drive.
Police officials believe there are four individuals responsible for the crimes.
Of the incidents that took place in Evesham, officials say every vehicle was unlocked.
Of the incidents that took place in Mt. Laurel, officials say almost all vehicles were unlocked as well, with only one reported incident where the individuals attempted to gain entry into a motor vehicle that was locked.
According to Evesham Township Chief of Police Christopher Chew, one of his department’s officers first spotted one of the individuals around 3:13 a.m. during a patrol of Evesham’s Ravenscliff development.
Officials said the officer observed an individual wearing dark clothing flee from a vehicle with an open door, and upon closer examination of the vehicle, the officer determined the vehicle had been burglarized.
Soon after, the homeowner came outside and told the officer the home’s burglar alarm was activated due to someone attempting to enter through the front door of the residence. Police later determined the alarm was triggered due to the burglar using a house key that was also in the vehicle in an attempt to enter the residence.
According to officials, responding officers then located a suspicious vehicle leaving the Ravenscliff tennis courts and began a pursuit.
Soon after, the vehicle crashed into a nearby wooded area between homes, and the driver fled on foot.
According to police, officers later determined the crashed vehicle was stolen from Gloucester City and contained proceeds from additional burglaries.
In the meantime, the Evesham Township Police Department established a large-scale perimeter of the area with the help of the Mt. Laurel Township Police Department, which had also been experiencing similar burglars in the same time frame.
A State Police helicopter was also requested in an attempt to locate any individuals involved in the burglaries, and local police K-9s were also used in the search.
However, the individuals were not located during the search, as they fled by stealing additional vehicles on Elmwood Road and Lakefield Drive — vehicles that police note were once again unlocked.
At the time of this article, police had identified one of the individuals believed to have been involved with the burglaries, but officials had yet to identify his location or the identity and location of anyone else believed to be involved with the incidents.
However, officials said police were working with numerous pieces of evidence and leads, and police say several home security cameras in the affected areas captured footage of the individuals believed to be involved with the crimes.
If anyone has information or lives in the area and has exterior video surveillance, they are asked to contact the Evesham Township Police Department or Mt. Laurel Township Police Department.
Residents can contact the Evesham Police Department at (856) 983–1116, the ETPD Confidential Tip Line at (856) 983–4699 or email the ETPD at Facebook@Eveshampd.org. Anonymous tips can text ETPDTIP to 847411.
Residents can contact the Mt. Laurel Township Police Department at (856) 234–8300 or the MLPD confidential tip line (856) 234–1414 ext. 1599.
