LOWER MERION— Lower Merion police are warning residents of a recent uptick in vehicle thefts and thefts from vehicles.
During a police committee meeting last week, township Police Superintendent Andy Block reported that there have recently been 53 thefts and attempted thefts from cars and 22 vehicle thefts.
Among the recent theft reports was one on Jan. 27, when Lower Merion officers received a report of a theft from a vehicle in Belmont Hills. The complainant reported that an unlocked Honda was entered and gone through sometime over the previous couple of days while parked in front of the home.
On Jan. 23, an attempted vehicle theft was reported in Wynnewood when the complainant reported that someone smashed the sunroof of a Lexus and attempted to remove it. The incident occurred sometime over the past week while the vehicle was parked in the apartment building’s parking garage.
On Jan. 20, someone reported the theft from a vehicle in Bryn Mawr. The victim told police that sometime over the previous week, the license plate was removed from the rear of their Nissan while it was parked in a township parking lot.
On Jan. 16, a Land Rover was reported stolen from the driveway of a residence during the previous night.
On Jan. 12 in Villanova, a resident reported seeing three people pulling on car handles. The suspects fled from the area.
The same day, a Porsche was stolen from the driveway of a residence in Gladwyne that occurred during the previous night. The vehicle was left unlocked with a key fob inside. A theft from a Toyota was also reported that same day in Gladwyne.
Also on Jan. 12, a theft from a BMW was reported after the rear window was broken out and the vehicle’s interior was searched during the overnight hours while parked in the driveway of the victim’s residence. That investigation is continuing.
Block said the department will run advertising and campaigns about the recent thefts because most of the vehicles involved have been left unlocked overnight. At the same time, valuables are being left inside them.
“So it’s preventable if our residents are informed to make sure they lock the vehicles, there’ll be less threat of becoming a victim,” Block said. “And also with some of the theft of our motor vehicles, when the vehicles are taken, they’re left unlocked with the keys in.”
Block said they have also added patrols to those areas where these thefts have been occurring throughout the fourth quarter.