Lawrence Woman Awakes to Find Burglar In Bedroom

A Lawrence Township woman was “terrified” and “shocked” after she awoke to find a burglar standing in the doorway of her bedroom shortly before 4 a.m. today (Monday, Sept. 26), according to a family member.

Aroused by a noise downstairs and then footsteps in the upstairs hallway, the 62-year-old Cherry Tree Lane resident remained motionless in her bed as the intruder shined a flashlight into the room, said the relative, who requested anonymity in order to protect the identity of the victim.

The burglar apparently fled empty-handed after going through much of the house, the relative said.

“She was sleeping but woke when she heard a noise downstairs. She thought it was the cat knocking something over,” the relative explained. “Then she heard footsteps in the hallway and saw a figure standing in the doorway.”

In the haze of having just been awakened from her sleep, the woman at first thought the person in the doorway was her son and she was about to call out to him, the relative said. But she hesitated and realized that it was not her son when the figure in the doorway shined the light from an LED flashlight onto her bureau.

The woman froze in her bed, the relative said, while the man scanned the top of the bureau with the light. Apparently not seeing what he was looking for, he retreated from the room and went downstairs.

As soon as she thought it was safe, the woman reached for cell phone and called for help, the resident said. Lawrence Township police received that call at 4 a.m. and officers immediately responded.

“They were there really fast,” the relative said.

Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for the township police department, said officers canvassed the area but were unable to locate the burglar who, he said, was described by the woman as being about 6 feet tall with a heavyset build, wearing a sweatshirt and gloves. In the darkness, the woman was not able to see the man’s face.

The relative and Edgar both said the intruder gained entry to the residence by way of a rear window on the first floor that the woman had left open for a breeze.

A motion-sensor spotlight on the exterior of the house was “somehow disabled” by the burglar, the relative said.

“He did a pretty thorough search of the house,” the relative said of the burglar. “He went through the first floor and the basement.”

“She is shaken up,” the relative said of the woman. “It’s kind of like she’s in shock and it hasn’t fully set in.”

The relative praised police officers for their prompt response, professionalism and the genuine concern they showed to the victim.

But the relative also said he is troubled by the and is worried about a plan the township is considering that would, come Jan. 1, reduce the number of police officers on patrol during certain overnight hours. Such a move was among the .

“I know times are tough and money is short,” the relative said. “But we pay all these taxes. Where does the money go? Public safety should be the priority. What would have happened if this guy had realized she was there?”