Two Juveniles Charged with 41 Thefts from Vehicles

BROOMALL– have arrested and charged two juveniles in connection with 41 thefts from vehicles in , Marple Police Chief Thomas Murray Jr. told the Marple Board of Commissioners on Monday night.

The arrests were made on Saturday, Dec. 3, Murray said. One of the juveniles was from Marple and the other was from , Murray said.

have been occuring in both Marple and Newtown townships. So far this year, Marple Township has had 82 thefts from vehicles, Murray said.

“So we’ve cleared half of them,” Murray said, referring to the two juveniles who have been accused of 41 of the incidents.

But the thefts from cars have not stopped, Murray said. During the past weekend at the Marple Crossroads Shopping Center, the windows of four vehicles were smashed in and items were stolen, Murray said.

Murray reminded the public not to leave items such as purses and store purchases visible in their cars.

“Anytime you leave something in a car that’s in plain view, there’s an opportunity for someone to see it and take it off your hands,” Murray said.

According to Murray, thefts from homes and offices also rose last month.

“Burglaries are going through the roof,” Murray said.

While there were 28 burglaries during the first 10 months of 2011, there were 13 burglaries alone in November, including thefts from office buildings, Murray said.

Marple police are working with several other police departments, including ones in Chester and Montgomery counties, to investigate the burglaries, Murray said.

Murray also advised residents to take preventative measures to avoid the theft of packages being delivered to their homes during the holiday season.

“If you’re not home, let your neighbors know you’re expecting a package, and have them hold the package for you,: Murray said. 

Murray said Marple is “fortunate” that it has not had any reports of stolen packages yet.