Business owners in Germantown are concerned following a string of burglaries over the last month. The crimes started back in September and went on for weeks and the primary suspect still hasn’t been caught. NBC10’s Neil Fischer has the latest.
Businesses in Germantown are frustrated after several burglaries that started in September and continued through October—and the man police think is the primary suspect has not been caught.
From Sept. 23 to Oct. 31, five commercial burglaries occurred in the neighborhood, all in a similar style.
According to police, the first incident happened around 2:50 a.m. on Sept. 23. An unknown man grabbed a rock from a shopping cart he was pushing and smashed the window of the Ultimo Coffee Shop located at 5901 Wayne Ave.
Police said the suspect then reached through the broken window, took audio electronics, and walked away west of Wayne Ave. with the shopping cart.
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The second incident happened on Oct. 8 at 3:26 a.m. at 42 W. Chelten Ave., according to police. The same unknown man broke the window of a store and took various items from the shelves, such as deodorants, plug-ins, and laundry detergent.
Police said the third incident happened on Oct. 13 at 3:30 a.m. at Kinesics Dance Dynamics located at 5427 Germantown Ave. The unknown male picked up a rock and broke the glass front door, climbed through the window, and shortly excited the studio with a cart full of various clothing, cleaning supplies, and tools. He was last seen walking west of Germantown Ave.
The fourth incident happened on Oct. 24 at 3:44 a.m. at the Covenant House located at 31 E. Armat St. Police said the suspect broke a ground-level office window, climbed in, emerged from the office, and walked through the hallway to ransack the kitchen area.
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The fifth and final reported incident happened on Oct. 31. Police said at 2:32 a.m., the unknown man broke out a side window to the Germantown Friends School located at 31. W. Coulter St. Once inside, the suspect took one silver Apple iPad.
During this incident, police said the suspect arrived with a large dark-colored trash can with the number 5340 written on the upper side of the trashcan. The suspect then threw a rock, broke a side window of the property, and entered the location through the window.
Police describe the suspect as an older man with a thin build and graying hair.
According to police, the suspect often commits burglaries between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. and is always seen pushing a shopping cart with black trash bags through the streets after his burglaries.
Some neighborhood businesses, including Gaffney Fabrics, have metal shutters to protect their windows, and although they’re right across the street from the Germantown Friend's Manager, Nancy Nagle feels protected.
“I don’t think anyone lashing out and doing this stuff is gonna stop us from moving forward, creating a very positive spot in the community," said Nagle.
“I can feel their frustration, I empathize when you work very hard and you’re trying to do the right thing in your community and this happens to you, so that’s why we’re going to do our very best and attempt to apprehend this individual," said Caption John Craig of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Police said if you see the suspect, do not approach him and contact 9-1-1 immediately.
If you have any information about these crimes or the suspect, you are urged to contact the Northwest Detective Division at 215-686-3353/3354.
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