Thousands in Jewelry Stolen During Recent Burglaries

Jewelry was stolen from three homes during recent burglaries in Lawrence Township and township police are working to determine if the crimes are connected and also if there is a link to an earlier attempted break-in and a property theft, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for the Lawrence Township Police Department.

The most recent burglary was reported at 7:14 p.m. on Monday, May 23.

Edgar said police received a call from a 40-year-old resident of Canal View Drive, located in the development behind Mercer Mall, who reported that he had arrived home to find the sliding glass door at the rear of his residence shattered and the interior of his house “rummaged through.”

More than $5,000 worth of assorted jewelry was missing, Edgar said.

Another burglary took place at a home just a few blocks away on Yorkshire Village Road. The homeowner there, a 31-year-old man, called police to report the crime at 11:51 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, Edgar said.

He said the 31-year-old returned home after being out of town for a couple days to find that someone had broken into his home and stole more than $10,000 worth of jewelry. Police are still investigating exactly how the burglar gained entry to the residence, he said.

And on Monday, May 16, a 52-year-old resident of West Church Road, located in the development behind the Lawrence Township Municipal Building, called police at 6:48 p.m. to report that he had just arrived home to find his front door smashed open, Edgar said, noting that the homeowner had been gone since 7:30 that morning.

Edgar said over $6,000 worth of jewelry was stolen there.

He said Detectives Joseph Lech IV, Kevin Reading Jr. and Todd Caruso are investigating the burglaries.

They are also looking into whether there is a connection between the recent burglaries and , he said.

Police ask anyone with information about the crimes to call detectives at (609) 896-1111.