Car burglary suspect in custody as search is on for suspected accomplice; what police want you to know
Car burglary suspect in custody while search is on for accomplice
Police in Medford say say two car burglary suspects took off with nearly two dozen vehicles in the community, most of them unlocked. One suspect is now in custody and police are searching for the other.
MEDFORD, N.J. - A burglary suspect, accused of breaking into nearly two dozen vehicles in a Burlington County community is now in custody. Police say a search is underway for the suspected accomplice.
What they're saying:
FOX 29 reporter Steve Keeley asked, "How many cars did he break into?"
"It was 21 counts of motor vehicle burglaries that he was charged with," replied Lt. Jeff Samalonis, with the Medford Police Department.
Keeley then asked, "It was all in one night?"
Lt. Samalonis answered, "Yes."
The 22nd car break-in might have gone off without a hitch, but the homeowners saw the burglars by their SUV on their home surveillance and hit the garage door opener, scaring them off.
Anyone wondering how two car burglars could get into that many cars in a single night, the car owners, sadly, were a big help.
Keeley said, "Let me guess, were most of the cars he broke into unlocked?"
"Most of them, yes," Lt. Samalonis replied.
What we know:
Police say they seemed to know Medford and know many of the residents living just 23 miles from Philly think they’re far enough from crime to not even have to lock their car doors at night and leave wallets, credit cards and even the keys in the unlocked cars.
That is how the two car burglars stole one car after driving to Medford in a distinctive Infiniti, with a black trunk, spoiler and temporary fake New Jersey paper license plate, police say.
Police are still looking for the vehicle, likely being driven by the accomplice in Philadelphia, they believe.
Dig deeper:
The accomplice was caught on camera at a Wawa the night of the Medford burglaries, using one of the stolen credit cards found in one of the near two dozen unlocked cars.
It was on Abingdon Avenue in Medford where the burglars hit a jackpot, not only finding a Ford Fusion left unlocked with the key to it inside.
The car would not be seen by police until eight days later and three hours away in Muncy, Pennsylvania where a police license plate reader alerted a stolen vehicle exact match and 26-year-old Kyair Smith led police on a high-speed chase that hit speeds over 100 miles an hour before crashing.
When asked where he got the stolen car, he said a friend just gave it to him, according to the criminal complaint.
Big picture view:
"What lessons should Medford residents learn out of this?" Keeley asked.
"Lock up your cars at night and keep your valuables inside," Lt. Samalonis answered.
And, after catching one suspect, police here say they’re now on alert for others.
Lt. Samalonis said, "We’re working on another crew that just came out a week or two ago and hit a different part of the town and we’re still working on identifying people out of there."