Police Probe Link Between NH and Mass Jewelry Store Burglaries

Portsmouth (NH) Police are now working with several Massachusetts police departments after they learned a burglar who robbed a jewelry store twice in two weeks may be linked to eight other cases in the Bay State.

The robberies included one in Swampscott on Sunday

WMUR reported on Thursday that Portsmouth Police are actively looking at several jewelry store burglaries that have occurred in that state this month to determine if it is the same suspect. 

Just days after the male burglary suspect robbed the Chrisrial and Co. Jewelers store on Deer Street on Feb. 22, Andover, Mass., Police say a similar burglary suspect broke into the Nazarian Jewelers in that community on Feb. 26.

before he made off with an unspecified amount of jewelry, which is very similar to the way the Portsmouth burglary suspect robbed the Deer Street store.

Swampscott, Mass., Police responded to a similar crime early Sunday, Feb. 24. Police in that community say the burglary suspect used a sledge hammer that he left behind to break the glass of the front door and then eight display cases before he made off with 50 jewelry items valued at $8,500.

In Portsmouth, police say the Chrisrial and Co. Jewelers was robbed on Feb. 7 and Feb. 21. The burglary suspect used a 30-pound dumbbell on Feb. 7 to smash his way into the store before stealing more than $20,000 worth of merchandise. Police say the burglary suspect then used a sledge hammer to break into the store again on Feb. 22.

Peabody Police reported that a burglary suspect used a 30-pound dumbbell to break into Long's Jewelry store on Feb. 1., according to Peabody Patch.

Danvers, Mass., Police say they had a similar burglary case occur on November. Danvers Police Sgt. Robert Bettencourt told Danvers Patch they investigated a similar case at Carter's Fine Jewelry on Nov. 29, 2012.

Swampscott Police ask anyone with information about the Kenneth Jon incident to call Swampscott Detectives at 781-595-1111.