Police Blotter: Woman Steals Baby Formula from Acme, Man Yells and Bangs on SEPTA Bus

Purse Stolen From Vehicle Just Before Family Vacation

On July 10 at 12:15 p.m., Newtown police responded to the 600 block of Valerie Drive for a reported theft from a vehicle. According to police, a Tory Burch purse valued at $250 and credit cards, medical insurance cards and gift cards were stolen from a black wallet within the purse. The evening before, the resident told police she had began to pack her Toyota Sequoia for a family trip. While packing, she left her black purse in the vehicle. That morning on July 10, she discovered the purse missing.

Attempted Theft From Car, Broken Door Handle

On July 10 at 12 p.m., police responded to the 100 block of Barren Road for a reported attempted theft from a vehicle. The resident told police that he parked his vehicle in his driveway and secured it around 11:30 p.m. the night prior on July 9. At 9:47 on July 10, the man said he discovered that the driver-side door handle was tampered with. Upon further investigation of the vehicle, police discovered the door handle was detached from the doorframe. According to the resident, nothing was apparently missing from his vehicle.

Woman Steals Basketful of Baby Formula

On July 12 at 12:16 p.m., police responded to the in the Newtown Square Shopping Center for a reported theft that just occurred. Upon viewing the store’s surveillance camera, the woman loaded a shopping basket with numerous cans of baby formula, passed all points of sale without purchasing the items and then exited the store, stated the incident report.

An Acme employee told police he observed the woman, who already had three containers of baby formula in her basket, asked the employee if they had anymore baby formula in the back. The employee then stated that he went back to the rear of the store and retrieved eight more containers of formula and provided them to the woman. The employee told police he then observed the woman walk towards the exit and followed the woman past all points of sale, through the store exit and into the parking lot. According to the employee, he watched the woman get into a tan pick-up truck which was being operated by a man with a beard, approximately in his mid-twenties. He was able to retrieve a license plate number from the vehicle.

Later that day around 6:50 p.m., police received information that the owner of the vehicle was home. Upon arrival to the man's residence in Broomall, police were able to speak with the owner of the vehicle involved in the incident, who told police that he picked up his cousin at her boyfriend’s home in Crum Lynne. After running a few errands, he told police they stopped by the Acme and stated he waited in the truck while she went inside. A few moments later, he told police that his cousin exited the store with a grocery basket filled with items and entered his truck and said he saw a man running towards her and yelling when she exited the store.

After they exited the parking lot, he discovered that she had stolen the merchandise that was in the basket. He originally told police that he ‘kicked her out of his truck’ on West Chester Pike in the area of the Starbucks, but later that day at approximately 8:45 p.m., the man told police that he did not make his cousin get out of his truck on West Chester Pike and that he drove her back to a shopping center in Crum Lynne. He was able to provide police with a contact number for his cousin. This incident is still being investigated by police.

Philly Man Gets Upset at Bus Driver, Yells Obscenities and Punches SEPTA Bus

On July 12 at 1:34 p.m., police responded to the intersection of Rt. 252/Newtown Street Road and Rt. 3/West Chester Pike for a disorderly conduct involving a SEPTA bus. Upon arrival, police found Thomas Marshall, 32, of Philadelphia, "wailing away" from the front of a SEPTA bus to stand on the curb. Police approached the man, who, according to police, sounded like he was about to cry, and proceeded to tell police that he just wanted to catch the bus back to Philadelphia. Police spoke with the bus driver who told police that Marshall tried to board the bus when she was not stopped in a safe location for him to do so. She directed him to cross Rt. 252 and stand at the other stop and that she would pick him up there. According to the bus driver, this is when Marshall began to scream obscenities at her and began banging his hand on the bus. According to police, a witness confirmed the same story as the driver and a Sharon Hill off-duty police officer who was also present at the time of the incident recounted the same story. When police confronted Marshall with the two stories provided, he did not deny the reported incident and was advised by police to not use the SEPTA. He was issued a citation for disorderly conduct.

Fraudulent Charges Made at BP Gas Station by Frequent Customer

On July 12 at 5:16 p.m., police responded to the 400 block of Merlin Drive for a reported fraudulent incident. Upon arrival, police met the resident who stated she was checking her online banking statements from Bryn Mawr Trust Bank when she noticed an ATM withdrawal made at the on 2590 West Chester Pike in the amount of $180. The woman also stated there was another transaction made at the same location for $1.99. The woman told police that both transactions occurred at approximately 11:36 p.m. on July 10. She stated that she and her husband are the only two people on the account and neither of them made or authorized those transactions. According to police, the woman and her husband both still have their bank cards in their possession and had them on Sunday morning as well. Upon calling the BP gas station, an employee stated that after viewing the surveillance camera, they observed an approximate 5-foot-7, heavy-set, short-haired black female wearing a dark-colored shirt, blue jeans and flip flops using the ATM at the time the woman stated the transactions had occurred. The employee from the gas station stated that the woman was a frequent customer to the gas station and stated he would be able to identify her if she should come back again, according to the incident report. This incident is still being investigated by police.

Dunwoody Village Resident Victim of Credit Card Theft

On July 13 at 5 p.m., police responded to for a reported theft. Upon arrival, police spoke with the victim who told police that she had checked her Citizens Bank checking account to find fraudulent activity on it. She told police that she discovered three separate withdrawals from her account, totaling a value of $4,134.65. According to the incident report, her statement revealed the following purchases made on three separate dates on her bank card: June 6 for $2,058.65; July 1 for $785; and July 13 for $1,290.