Villanova Burglary on Monday Sparks Safety Reminder to Residents

Following a recent burglary in Villanova, Ward 10 Commissioner Scott Zelov is encouraging residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and to take measures to deter would-be burglars.

Between 1:45 p.m. and 2:35 p.m. Monday, May 23, jewelry was stolen from the master bedroom of a home on the 1300 block of Arrowmink Road in Villanova, Lower Merion Police Superintendent Michael McGrath wrote in an email to Zelov, which Zelov forwarded to constituents late Thursday night.

The burglar forced entry into the home through a rear bathroom window and exited through a rear door, according to the email.

Zelov wrote that the short time span the residents were gone suggests a burglar may have been watching the Arrowmink Road home.

That is not the first burglary in that vicinity in recent months. On May 6, there was a burglary on Waverly Road in Gladwyne between 7:40 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the email.

, the May 6 burglary on the 900 block of Waverly Road yielded the burglar more than $100,000 in jewelry, cash and electronics (a laptop computer and iPad). The burglar gained entry through an unlocked door.

On March 20, there was also a burglary on Meadowbank Road—a block away from Arrowmink Road, according to the email.

, that burglary occurred between Feb. 26 and March 20 in a home on the 1300 block of Meadowbank Road, and the burglar gained entry by breaking a window. The burglar ransacked the bedrooms and stole three Disney prints and a piece of luggage, according to McGrath’s email.

“The police are advising that everyone should report any suspicious activity, always use alarm systems, even if you’re away from your house for a short time, and always keep your windows and doors locked,” Zelov wrote in the email.

When reached by phone Friday afternoon, Zelov said an additional precaution residents should take is to make it difficult for burglars if they potentially did gain access to your home.

“Hide your valuables and your jewelry in a place that they would not expect and therefore not look,” Zelov said. “Because in a short time, a burglar might go straight to a master bedroom… A place in the house that they wouldn’t look would be a wise preventative measure.”