It happened around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 18th in the 2000 block of Kater Street.
Police say a man was captured on surveillance video around the time of the break-in.
The suspect was caught on surveillance video, which was released by police on Thursday morning.This was actually one of two burglaries on that block in just a week.
"It's a horrible thing that they did to us. We feel really violated and unsafe," said the homeowner. The young woman asked us to conceal her identity, saying she feels unsafe after what happened last week. She and her roommate returned home to the 2000 block of Kater after two weeks away and found their row home had been burglarized and tens of thousands of dollars in belongings gone. "They took a lot of electronics, our TV, and computers; things like that. For me, the biggest loss was I lost both of my musical instruments. I lost a violin and a mandolin, and that was really hard," she said. Adding insult to injury, the burglars destroyed the place; cell phone photos show the house completely vandalized. "It was like completely trashed, and people had gone through every inch of our stuff." Just three doors down, her neighbor had a similar experience. During the same week, burglars got into his row home by removing the mail slot, then reaching up and unlocking the front door. They took at least $53,000 worth of belongings, including electronics, jewelry, credit cards, and a collection of valuable watches. Police believe the man captured by a surveillance camera on a nearby home was involved in at least one of the burglaries. The video shows him walking back and forth on the block with a cell phone up to his ear. Both victims had left clues they were away with mail piled up and a Federal Express sticker on the door for days. They both say they learned a valuable lesson, but the hard way. "I had just moved to this neighborhood, and I love Philadelphia, but it really effects how I feel about being here, and how I feel about staying here." She says that she is really thinking about how she secures her valuables from now on, even in her own home. The suspect is described as a black male wearing a baseball cap, white t-shirt and blue jeans.Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215.686.TIPS (8477), text a tip to PPD TIP (773847) or through phillypolice.com.
