Police are warning people about a new trend involving teenagers breaking into cars in many local neighborhoods. Investigators are looking for four individuals from surveillance and two others were arrested from a different car theft. NBC10’s Leah Uko has more.
Two teens were arrested on Tuesday for breaking into cars in Delaware County and now police are warning of a trend involving car thefts and underage people.
On Tuesday at 11 a.m. the Yeadon Borough Police Department was alerted about two men busting the window of a parked car in the alley on the 800 block of Connell Ave., according to officials.
Police were given a detailed description of the individuals, both 14-years-old, and took them both into custody a short distance from the scene after they responded to the area.
Yeadon Police Department Chief Henry Giammarco said one of the teens was due in court Tuesday for a similar incident that happened over the summer.
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“When they were asked why they weren’t in school—the one person said ‘oh because I have court’ the other person said ‘oh I didn’t feel like going today’,” Giammarco said.
This incident is one of many thefts that have taken place in Delaware County recently.
Over the weekend, the Upper Chichester Police Department responded to multiple incidents involving stolen cars and thefts of property from cars.
Investigators are currently still looking for four people who were captured on surveillance video breaking into cars on Sunday around 3:45 a.m.
Police say the group broke into two cars.
“Right now we’re not sure if—they might’ve been unlocked. We’re not exactly sure, we’re not sure if anything was taken at this point,” Giammarco said.
These incidents occurred in the overnight hours in the Ogden area on the 1000 block of Serrill Ave.
Neighbors in the area said they’ve seen teens in the area get involved in car theft gangs. It’s a trend Yeadon police confirmed has increased recently.
“Just stay focused on their education. Just stay off the streets. They don’t need to be on the streets. Stay in,” one neighbor said.
Yeadon police also say when underage violators are arrested many juvenile detention centers are too overcrowded to keep them in custody.
“You know, the recidivism and constantly stealing cars. The kids even know it—today the children that we arrested, the 14-year-olds basically said ‘well yeah you’re going to call our parents, we’re going to get released and we’re going to get a court date’. They know the system better than we do and that’s the scary part of this,” Giammarco said.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as information becomes available.
Police said a car gets stolen every 43.8 seconds in the United States.
They are warning the public to take care when parking and exiting your vehicle by taking the following steps:
- Take your vehicle's key; do not leave it in or on your vehicle.
- Close and lock all windows and doors when you park.
- Park in well-lit areas if possible.
- Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen from outside.
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