Burglars Flee Home After Confrontation With Resident

Update: for additional information about this crime.

Lawrence Township police spent much of Sunday afternoon (Feb. 12) searching for two young men who broke into a house on Drift Avenue but then fled when they were confronted by a resident who they apparently did not realize was home.

Sgt. Michael Yeh said township police received a 911 call at 3 p.m. about a burglary in progress.

Several officers immediately responded to the home on Drift Avenue, near the corner of Orchard Avenue, and learned that the two men, upon encountering the resident, had retreated from the house and run south on Drift Avenue, Yeh said.

He said the pair “forcible entered the home,” but he declined to provide specific details about how the burglars made entry due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. He said police believe the men thought the house was unoccupied at the time.

Nothing appears to be missing from the home, he said, but residents still must make a thorough inspection before police are certain the men did not get away with anything.

The burglars were described as black males, in their late teens, wearing dark hoodies and blue jeans, Yeh said.

As soon as they arrived in the area, officers set up a perimeter in the hope of containing and capturing the burglars. From positions on Drfit Avenue, Johnson Avenue, Short Johnson Avenue, Vinch Avenue and elsewhere, officers kept watch for anyone fitting the description of the burglars.

Officer Ron Buchanan and his canine partner, meanwhile, worked to track the route the fleeing burglars had taken. Despite their efforts, no suspects were located.

But police remain optimistic. “We’re following up some leads we generated from our investigation,” Yeh said, adding again that because the investigation is ongoing he could not reveal more.

“Obviously, if anyone saw anything, we’d ask them to give us a call,” he said.

Officer Mark Harmon and Detective Todd Caruso are leading the investigation.

Anyone with information that might help the investigation is asked to call Lawrence Township police at (609) 896-1111.