Police Investigating Andover Drive Home Burglary

Police are investigating an alleged burglary and attempted break-ins at several homes on Andover Drive Sunday night. 

An Andover Drive homeowner called police at 9:38 p.m. to report that two men were attempting to enter the home through a rear door, Capt. James Clarke said Monday. The men fled when they realized the homeowner was present, Clarke said.

Witnesses described one of the alleged burglars as a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound black man wearing a navy blue zip-up hooded sweatshirt and black parachute pants, Clarke said. 

The man allegedly ran to a parked vehicle on Burnside Place described as a Plymouth Voyager minivan with North Carolina plates and fled down Andover Drive towards Preakness Avenue. 

An hour and a half later, around 11 p.m., police responded to another Andover Drive residence to conduct a property check, after a resident reported that he arrived home to find a gate in his rear yard open. Police said the home was secure, but found that a next-door neighbor's shed was also open and a rear window had been shattered. After a search of the home, police discovered the home had been ransacked, Clarke said. 

Police said there has been a spike in the number of burglaries in the township this summer. 

Residents are encouraged to immediately report all suspicious activity to the Wayne Police Department. 

Any information related to these crimes can be forwarded to Detective Chris Corsiglia at corsigliac@waynetownship or 973-633-3538.