Thieves using garage door openers to enter Central Bucks County, Montco homes, police say

Police in Central Bucks and eastern Montgomery County are once again urging residents to lock their cars after a series of thefts happened recently, including some where homes were entered using garage door openers found in unlocked cars.

Police in Warrington, Doylestown Township, New Britain Township and Montgomery all reported thefts early morning Wednesday. The bulk of the thefts appear to be in Warrington, where police have since found 25 different thefts, including four vehicles that had been stolen.

Warrington Chief Daniel Friel estimated there were about four or five people who came from out of the area to hit throughout the township between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m.

“We particularly got hit pretty hard," he said.

Thieves target unlocked vehicles in Warrington

The first report for a theft came in around 1:30 a.m., when the department received a call for someone going into a vehicle. For the next three hours, police continued to get calls.

“We just kept getting calls all over town," Friel said.

The developments that were targeted, so far, are Palomino Glen, Fairways, Pickertown Knoll, Woodspring, Warrington Ridge and Hickory Ridge.

The group targeted the east end to the western border of the township. In some cases, the people entering the vehicles would find a garage door opener, and they would use them to enter the home and steal from residents.

“This is a first I've seen them actually enter people’s residences," the Warrington chief said.

There were no confrontations between the thieves and any of the victims, the chief said. Additionally, there were no signs of forced entry in the thefts, meaning they went into unlocked cars to get items.

Four vehicles were taken in the township. By Thursday, two of them had been recovered.

He said the thieves came in together in at least one car, and then made off with four other cars.

“We’re thinking there was five of them, at least," he said.

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Nearby areas experience similar thefts

Warrington authorities are working with nearby agencies to determine if the thefts are related.

In Montgomery Township, there were two thefts. In both instances, garage doors were opened from garage door openers stored inside unlocked vehicles, according to Lt. William Peoples. One was a theft from a vehicle, and the person then went into the garage to look for more items.

In the second instance, car keys were taken from the garage, and the car itself was stolen. It had not been recovered as of Thursday.

One of the thefts happened in the 100 block of Birch Court and the vehicle was stolen in a home in the 200 block of Westminster Drive. Peoples said the thefts occurred around 4 a.m.

In Doylestown Township, there were six thefts in the areas of Sandy Ridge Road and Limekiln Road, and Ferry Road and Old Iron Hill Road, according to Lt. Charles Zeigler. He said investigators had not yet determined everything that had been stolen, but estimated the thefts happened between midnight and 4 a.m.

In New Britain Township, there was a theft and an attempted theft in the area of the township that borders Warrington, according to Chief Richard Clowser. There was a theft from a vehicle and an attempted theft from another vehicle.

Clowser said investigators performed DNA swabs on the vehicles and are awaiting results.

In Solebury, township police responded to a traffic accident with possible entrapment in the area of Route 32 and Route 202, near the toll bridge about 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to Detective Cpl. Jonathan Koretzky. When officers arrived they found the driver had fled the scene.

The vehicle, Koretzky said, was reported stolen out of New Jersey. Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police were able to locate the driver, he said. Those agencies are handling the investigation.

While there were no thefts overnight Wednesday, Koretzky said there were similar thefts in the township in May and June.

Police are investigating if those thefts and the vehicle crash are related to the thefts in Warrington.

Police urge caution with vehicles

Residents are reminded to keep their car doors locked and keep valuables out of their vehicles. Warrington police encouraged people to keep their vehicles in locked garages, and to remove the garage door opener if possible.

Thieves will often look for various items like computers, phones, wallets and loose change, according to Warrington Chief Friel. They typically don't spend a long time going through vehicles.

“It is an opportunity thing," the chief said.

The department also encourages residents to get anti-theft devices for their vehicles.

If a resident sees something suspicious, such as someone looking into a parked vehicle window or trying door handles, they are asked to contact police.

Warrington police posted photos of those involved, as well as a video of a theft attempt, on their CrimeWatch page. Anyone with information or additional footage is asked to email bschaffer@warringtonpd.org.

Montgomery Township police posted a video of one of the thefts on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to email police@montpd.org or call the department at 215-362-2301.