Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Thousands Worth of Copper Wire Stolen, Retail Theft, Thefts From Cars

The following information has been supplied by the Marple Police Department. If arrests or charges are mentioned, they do not indicate guilt or a conviction.

Woman Steals Jewelry From T.J. Maxx

On March 14 at approximately 2:53 p.m., Marple police responded to the on 1991 South Sproul Road for a reported retail theft. According to the loss prevention officer of the store, a woman was observed concealing several pieces of jewelry. The woman had other merchandise which she paid for but did not pay for the concealed jewelry, according to the incident report. The woman was stopped by the officer as she left the store. The total value of stolen merchandise is $60.97. The woman had no reported prior arrests and was issued a non-traffic citation for retail theft.

Thousands Worth of Wires Stolen From Home

On March 13 at approximately 6 p.m., police responded to the 2900 block of Pennview Avenue for a reported theft from a home. The homeowner reported that spools of copper wire was stolen from his backyard sometime in the last two days, according to the incident report. According to the report, the stolen wire was described as a 1,000 foot spool of wire worth about $900 and a 2,500 foot spool of 6awg black wire worth about $4,000. The two spools were located in front of the garage in the rear of the property. Four additional spools of wire were stolen which were located alongside the fence of the property, according to the report. The four spools were described as 200 feet long colored wire–black, red, white and blue–worth about $15,000. According to police, the only way to remove this large amount of wire is by using a truck as the spools are very heavy. Police are further investigating this incident.

Fraudulent Charges Made on Credit Card From Europe

On March 13, police received a report from a woman who stated that her TJX Rewards Mastercard had been compromised. According to the report, there were several transactions that took place in Spain and London. According to the report, it had appeared the card number was compromised and sold overseas. The woman’s last online purchase was on Feb. 20. The purchases made in Span and London were dated on March 8 or March 9. Police are further investigating this incident.

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Man Gets Car Wash, Pays By Check With No Money in Account

On March 12 at approximately 9:36 a.m., police received a report from an employee at Mr. Car Wash in Springfield who reported that a man came into the business on March 7 at approximately 3:30 p.m. to have his car washed and hand waxed. The employee stated that when it was done, the man had refused to pay. The total cost was $42.70 for the services. The man eventually produced a bank check for the services and was told that the business did not accept personal checks. The owner of the car wash stated that they had gone to the bank for the check in which it was discovered that there was no money in the account. The man was identified as a Secane, PA, man and was later issued a non-traffic citation.

Fraudulent Charges Made on Credit Card For Concert Tickets

On March 12, police responded to the 100 block of Springton Mews Circle in Media for a reported credit card fraud. Upon arrival, police spoke to the complainant who told police that she had discovered someone had used her American Express card while she was away in Florida on March 4 and discovered that a transaction was made using the card on Feb. 19 to purchase concert tickets through Ticketmaster in Chicago. Two transactions were posted–one for $331.25 on Feb. 19 and one for $14 on Feb. 20 for insurance on the tickets. According to the report, the complainant had possession of her card throughout the time of the incident and not aware of how it was used without her knowledge.

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Eggs Thrown at Home and Vehicle

On March 11 at approximately 12:03 p.m., police received a report of a criminal mischief incident. A homeowner on the unit block of Bonsall Avenue told police that around 10 p.m. the night before, someone had thrown four eggs at their home and their vehicle in an unknown vehicle.

Man Steals Items From Walmart, Foot Chase Ensues

On March 10 at approximately 5:25 p.m., police responded to the for a reported retail theft. Upon arrival, police met with the loss prevention officer who told police that they observed a man conceal several pieces of merchandise prior to passing all points of sale without paying. According to the report, the officer attempted to stop the man in the vestibule of the store when he fled from the store. A foot pursuit ensued, according to the report, with the officer chasing the man towards Sproul Road. Police were able to eventually catch the man on the unit block of Stratford Drive. Police confirmed the man was the man who had previously fled from Walmart security in a surveillance video. The total value of theft was $120.59. The man was identified as a 27-year-old Broomall man and was issued a non-traffic citation.

Vehicle's Driver Window Smashed Out

On March 10 at approximately 7:46 a.m., police responded to the 2500 block of Grant Road for a report of vandalism to a vehicle incident. Upon arrival, police observed a blue Ford in the driveway parked off of the unit block of Caranel Road. The driver window had been smashed out completely, according to the report. According to the vehicle owner, nothing was reported taken from the vehicle. In addition, tools in the back seat of the vehicle, two phone chargers plugged into the front console and coins in the vehicles cup holders were not taken.

Washer/Dryer Taken From Home

On March 8, at approximately 11:30 a.m., police received a report of a theft from a vacant home owned by a family on the 200 block of Brookthorpe Circle. According to the report, the deceased homeowner’s family had been refurbishing the home and a family friend had dropped off a Kenmore washer and dryer by the garage area of the home. A neighbor who lives across the street observed that the washer and dryer was gone when he tried to bring the item into the home later that day, according to the report.

Theft From Car While Parked at Funeral Home

On March 7 at approximately 9:41 p.m., police responded to the off of West Chester Pike/Rt. 3 in Broomall for a reported theft from a vehicle. Upon arrival, police spoke with the vehicle owner who told police that she had parked her vehicle in the parking lot at approximately 7:15 p.m. to attend a viewing. According to the report, when the woman returned to her vehicle at approximately 9:35 p.m., she discovered the passenger side window of her vehicle had been broken into and her purse was removed from the passenger seat. According to police, it appeared that the actor(s) attempted to pray the door open due to the frame of the door being marked and bent. Within the woman’s purse, a driver’s license, social security card, direct express card and $87 were also stolen.

Woman Steals Perfume From T.J. Maxx

On March 5 at approximately 4:50 p.m., police responded to the T.J. Maxx for a report of a retail theft. Upon arrival, police met with the loss prevention officer who told police that she had recovered the stolen perfume from the woman. The woman was arrested and was cited for retail theft.

Lawn Ornament Taken From Home

On March 5 at approximately 11:05 a.m., a woman reported that an unknown person had stolen a lawn ornament sometime during the night between March 3-4.  The ornament was described as a wrought iron stand holding a decorative Irish plate which measured about 1 square foot. The approximate value of the ornament was $50.

Woman Steals Items From Supermarkets, Returns Items For Gift Cards

On March 4 at approximately 8:16 p.m., police responded to the for a reported theft. Upon arrival, the store manager told police that a woman had attempted to have a gift card issued with stolen merchandise she returned. According to the store manager, the woman has been stealing items from Giant stores all over the area. The woman then returns the stolen items and receives gift cards in return. After being informed of what she was doing, they deactivated the woman’s card in which came back into the Giant later that night to have it reactivated. Upon further investigation–with permission from the woman–police investigated the woman’s rented Dodge Avenger that had a New York state license plate. According to the report, police discovered a map on the front passenger seat of Delaware, Chester, Philadelphia, Mongtomery and Bucks counties’  Giant Food Stores circled. Also sitting on the front seat of the vehicle was a notepad that had addresses wand phone numbers of all the Giants, Genaurdi’s and Pathmarks written down in the five county area. In the trunk of the vehicle, according to the report, police discovered two Brita water pitchers, one Brita filtration system and one filter replacement pack. The woman is identified as Eleanor Valdenarro, 48, of Dumont, NJ. She was arrested and charged for retail theft. According to police, she had three prior retail arrests as well as another arrest in her past history.

$270 Stolen From Car at AMC 10 Parking Lot

On March 3 at approximately 6:22 p.m., police responded to the in the Marple Crossroads Shopping Center for a reported theft from a vehicle. Upon arrival, police met with the vehicle owner who stated that between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., someone had entered his vehicle and taken a bank envelope containing approximately $270 in cash.


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