Roommates rattled after burglar ransacks home near Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square

About $10,000 worth of items were missing, including designer bags, jewelry, clothing, perfume and a laptop.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are searching for the burglar who ransacked a home near Rittenhouse Square last week.

It happened on April 22 on the 2100 block of Walnut Street.
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The two young women who live in the home were gone for the night and found out about the burglary the next morning. They spoke with Action News on Monday evening and asked to remain anonymous.

"I got a call from the cops that my laptop had been turned into the police station. It had just been lying on the street somewhere," one of the women said. "That was kind of my first hint that something was wrong."

Philadelphia police search for burglar who broke into a home on Walnut Street near Rittenhouse Square on April 22, 2024.



The 22-year-old woman said she immediately called her boyfriend, who visited her apartment to make sure everything was OK. He found her bedroom had been ransacked, so she rushed home.



"Once I opened my bedroom door, I knew right away because it was just like my floor was covered with clothes. There were pill bottles everywhere. The window was open."
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About $10,000 worth of items were missing, including designer bags, jewelry, clothing, perfume and her laptop, which was found and returned to police.

"The second I opened my door, I called the cops. They got here like four hours later," one of the women recalled. She said she filed a report and spoke with the officer about what happened.

IMAGE: Police are searching for this suspect in connection with a burglary on Walnut Street on April 22, 2024.



Surveillance videos show the man creeping into their neighbor's backyard and trying to get into a nearby home.
"He had a t-shirt that said, 'real men rock pink,' and it kind of looks like he had a woman's or girl's crop top jacket," said one of the victims.
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The roommates told Action News they think the man grabbed pallets that were in their backyard, propped them up, and climbed on them in order to open a top window. From there, he was able to enter a bedroom in the apartment.
The women believe the suspect exited the apartment through the front door, grabbing a purse, some loose change and a gift card on the way out.

These roommates hope someone recognizes the man and calls police. They said they are left with a sense of uneasiness and fear.



"It's more so the invasion, not the material thing. I don't really worry about getting my things back. It's just I don't think it's safe if he's allowed to continue to do these things."

Philadelphia police told Action News they are still investigating the burglary.
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