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Food and Drinks Taken During Burglary Spree near Hazleton

HAZLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — State police are investigating a series of burglaries near Hazleton. They say someone has broken into seven homes in the same area o...

HAZLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- State police are investigating a series of burglaries near Hazleton. They say someone has broken into seven homes in the same area over the last several weeks.

Troopers say the burglars are stealing food and other items from the houses.

The people who live in that neighborhood near Hazleton are desperate to find out who is breaking into their homes.

State police are making their presence known in a neighborhood in Milnesville, Hazle Township. They've stepped up patrols due to a rash of burglaries.

"We see them every hour or so and we're very thankful for that. It takes a lot of ease off of everybody also," Sheila Deangelo said.

Troopers say there have been seven burglaries in the past several weeks. The break-ins are happening during the day when no one is home.

The stolen items include food and drinks.

"You never really know why someone commits crimes like this," said Trooper Anthony Petroski. "All we want to do is find them and arrest them. They shouldn't be going into anyone's houses. They're using force to get in. They're going in the side and rear doors of the residences."

In addition to troopers doing patrols, people who live in this neighborhood are working together to bring in leads.

"We have a phone chain between the neighbors, like we keep in touch. If we see something up our end, we'll call the neighbor down the other end so that way she'll contact other people to let them know to be on the lookout," Deangelo said.

"You see somebody hanging out in our area looking around, they may be looking at houses to see who's leaving, things like that. Be aware of your surroundings. If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Give us a call," said Trooper Petroski.

People who live in this neighborhood are hoping that keeping an eye out and having a heavy police presence will put an end to these burglaries soon.

"It's kind of scary because there's a lot of single parents in the neighborhood and it's kind of wary because you don't know who it is," Deangelo said.

If you know anything about these burglaries, you're asked to call state police at the Hazleton barracks.

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