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Tips for avoiding thieves in NE posing as utility workers to gain entry to homes
Police say no one be allowed into homes without proper identification and prior notice of arrival while they track a team of cagey burglars working Northeast Philly and beyond.
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in Northeast Philadelphia are searching for a pick-up truck they believe was used in a series of recent burglaries targeting elderly people a team of thieves posing as utility workers trying to get inside homes.
On a Northeast Philly street, Philadelphia Water Department workers are on the job. They wear yellow protective vests with PWD emblazoned on the back. They ride in city vehicles with the department’s name on the side.
City police said looking for the initials and the names may protect residents from crime. Lt. Mike Long of Northeast Detectives said, "Once in the property, they check meters, electric wires, plumbing. The victim lets the people in the home. They will distract them by other means. A second offender will enter the home.."
It has happened twice recently in the Northeast by men wearing reflective vests and posing as utility workers. Police said a white pickup was used in one of the burglaries. Police report the thieves are focusing on the elderly. A woman, 96-years-old, and a man, 86, were both victimized. In one of the burglaries, $350 in cash, two watches, a 38-caliber pistol and even a bank statement were lifted.
Police are searching for a white pick-up truck they believe was used in a series of burglaries that targeted elderly people.
Lt. Long said, "Some may be as simple as leaving a grocery store or the bank. They’re just followed home. Both victims are over the age of 85. A little more trusting."
Police report when the residents ask to call a relative or a friend the burglars quickly leave. They urge residents to look for those initials on safety vests and department names on trucks.
They recommend that no one be allowed into homes without proper identification and prior notice of arrival while they track a team of cagey burglars working Northeast Philly and beyond.
Lt. Long said, "We’re also looking at different patterns maybe occurring in the suburbs, Bucks and Montgomery Counties - other jobs occurring in the last two months."