Homeless Man Allegedly Invades Plymouth Meeting Home

Police arrested a homeless man Monday afternoon after he allegedly burglarized a Plymouth Meeting home.

Joseph Jude Casino Jr., 43, was arrested at about 12:15 p.m. after police say he entered a house in the unit block of Westwood Circle after knocking on the front door for about 20 minutes.

According to police, a 16-year-old girl was home at the time. She sent a text message to her father that said a suspicious man was knocking on the door, and sent another message saying that she believed the man was in the house; her father called police.

Police said Casino then entered a locked bedroom, which was occupied by the 16-year-old girl. The girl screamed “Get Out!” and Casino then fled through a front, living room window; police were nearby and Casino was arrested following a struggle.

According to police, when he was arrested, Casino had about $500 worth of jewelry in a green pillowcase, which was taken from the home and identified as belonging to the 16-year-old’s sister and father. Casino also had a small lunch bag containing small tools and was wearing rubber yellow gloves at the time of his arrest.

Casino had also parked his mother’s car nearby, police said. It was towed from the scene and contained no evidence. According to police, Casino’s mother said she lent the car to her son — who does not have a driver’s license.

Plymouth Township Detective Sgt. Tom Longo called Casino's alleged actions "brazen."

“Upon the receipt of this call our patrol officers did an outstanding job of tactically approaching the residence and apprehending the suspect,” Longo said. “Joseph Casino was previously arrested for burglary by our department in 2007, subsequently he served a 5-year sentence in the state correctional system.  He was paroled in April 2013 and almost immediately has reverted back to a criminal lifestyle.  For a person to enter someone’s home to steal their valuables and violate their personal sense of security is unconscionable — to do it while the innocent victim is at home is horrifying and even more reprehensible.  As a police department we are relieved that we have removed a criminal as brazen as Joe Casino from our streets, again.”

Casino was arraigned Monday night before District Justice Lukens. Bail was set at $250,000 and a preliminary hearing is set for June 27 at 9 a.m. Casino is currently at Montgomery County Prison.