Sketch Released of Burglar Who Tried to Trap Resident

Following the home invasion in Huntingdon Valley, the Lower Moreland Police Department has released a sketch of the subject.

A man posed as an employee of the Water Department and told the resident he needed to check the water in her home on the 170 block of Clearview Avenue. The homeowner answered the door, but when she turned around she realized the suspect had already entered her house through the side door.

Believing that she was being robbed, the woman, who is in her 80’s, followed instructions after the man told her to go into the bathroom to check her pipes. The man then tried to close the door on her before ransacking the house for jewelry and money.

This was the latest of a string of home robberies that are happening in Lower Moreland. But according to the police, this kind of activity is happening in many townships in Montgomery and Bucks counties.

“We’ve seen an equivalent number of robberies here than in other townships,” Detective Sergeant John MacDonald told Patch. “Upper Moreland, Abington, Upper Southampton, Warminster, everyone is seeing the same kind of activity.”

Over the last four weeks, five robberies have been reported in Lower Moreland alone. Most often the actors will attempt to break in during the day time hours while homeowners are at work.

There have also been numerous accounts of items being stolen from parked cars in the middle of the night.

"The crime rate here is not higher than in other townships," MacDonald said. “It’s a sign of the times.”