“JSA issues grab-and-run thief alert in Northeast”

JSA issues grab-and-run thief alert in Northeast

Posted: 05 Aug 2010 01:27 AM PDT

New York--The Jewelers Security Alliance (JSA) is warning jewelers of a grab-and-run thief who has struck at least eight jewelry stores as part of a crime spree that started in late May in Delaware and has since spread to Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

"Be on alert for this suspect," JSA said in a special crime alert issued Friday afternoon. "He may go to other states in his continuing crime spree, particularly since he is becoming so recognized in the Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania area."

JSA has released the suspect's name, but National Jeweleris withholding it since no arrests have been made and no criminal charges have been filed. There have been no reports of injuries in connection with the incidents.

The alleged culprit is a white male, age 26, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds, with brown hair and a beard, according to JSA. The suspect also has several tattoos, including one on his right forearm featuring the letters "HJH," another on his right bicep that says "Jon," a cross on his left bicep, and another tattoo that says "Wiseman" spread across his shoulder blades. Further details are on the JSA Web site.

The most recent incident, according to the JSA report, occurred on June 16, when an employee at a store in Ridley Township in Delaware County, Pa., recognized the suspect and locked him inside the store. The man told the employee that he had a gun, then smashed the glass door with a chair and escaped.

The string of grab-and-run incidents began in Delaware, with three thefts in that state linked to the same man: One occurred in Wilmington on May 29, the second in Newark on June 3, and the third in Bear, Del., on June 4. In the June 4 incident, the thief ran out of the store with a diamond ring in his hand and escaped in a small red Mazda Protege hatchback with Delaware license plates. The two previous theft incidents happened in a similar fashion, according to the JSA.

JSA said it has received additional information that the Delaware suspect then continued his crime spree in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Similar grab-and-run thefts have now occurred in Middletown Township, Pa., Bensalem Township, Pa., and in northeast Philadelphia.

The man is also reported to have committed the same type of diamond ring grab-and-run crime in Monroe Township, N.J., after which his fleeing car caused an accident. A 29-year-old female who drives the red Mazda getaway car has, in some cases, accompanied the suspect while he was committing the crimes, according to the JSA alert.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the Delaware State Police at (302) 761-6677, ext. 308, or the Newark (Del.) Police at (302) 366-7111.

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