By Matt Grisafi & Petra Chesner Schlatter; BucksLocalNews.com

Individuals are responsible for bulk of the thefts in Newtown area, says police chief.

NEWTOWN -- Two male suspects will be arrested next week on criminal charges involving a string of thefts from cars and garages in Bucks and Montgomery counties, according to Newtown Township Police Chief Rick Pasqualini.

Detectives from Newtown Borough and Newtown, Lower Makefield and Buckingham townships in Bucks County as well as Upper Moreland Township in Montgomery County, cooperated in the investigation, according to Pasqualini.

The individuals have sought counsel and are expecting next week's arrests, formalities made a little more complex due to the crimes crossing county lines.

"These two individuals are responsible for the bulk of the thefts that we have recently experienced," said Pasqualini, who noted that the suspects were not working in tandem.

The string of thefts saw more than 20 reports of items stolen from vehicles or garages over a 10-day span in Newtown and Northampton townships earlier this month.

The thefts — the majority of which involved vehicles left unlocked — include thousands of dollars in merchandise including iPods, GPS units, satellite radios, golf clubs and DVD players.

Despite the forthcoming arrests, Pasqualini urges residents to be more careful as car burglaries are on the rise.

“It’s not only Newtown,” he said. “In many of the neighboring municipalities there’s an increase in car burglaries. These items can turn into cash very quickly. Seven to eight dollars in change is very attractive to individuals.”

Neighboring Northampton Township saw a string of thefts reported between Sept. 13 and Sept. 17 — five from unlocked vehicles and one from an unsecured garage.

“Thefts from vehicles have gone up recently for any number of reasons — crime of opportunity, if people don’t lock their doors or leaving valuable items out in the open,” said a source with the Northampton Township Police Department who added that the department is actively investigating the situation and working closely with Newtown Township detectives.

Chief Pasqualini advised residents to take more care in locking their vehicle and leaving valuables inside.

“What people can do is, number one, lock their vehicles,” he said. “In addition, people are leaving GPS on the dashboard and valuables in plain sight. My recommendation is not to leave anything valuable in the car. When possible, they should secure their vehicles in their driveway with a motion detector or leave the driveway light on.”

Police ask that suspicious activity be reported by calling the 24-hour dispatch for Newtown Township and Newtown Borough at 215-598-7121.

Pasqualini said some of the stolen items have been recovered, “but we have not closed out these burglaries.”

In most of the incidents, no damage was reported to the vehicles.

The reports include (all information provided by Newtown Township police):

♦ Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. — Shortly before 9 a.m. a resident of Parkview Way reported that at some point after 10:30 p.m. Sept. 11 someone entered their unlocked vehicle. The victim reported that the subject(s) had emptied out the glove box, but noting was missing.

♦ Saturday, Sept. 12, 9:30 a.m. — A second report was received around 9:30 a.m. The victim reported that two vehicles had been entered and a Sirius radio valued at $150 was taken.

♦  Saturday, Sept. 12, 11:30 a.m. — A resident of Hunters Way called police around 11:30 a.m. to report two DVD players were stolen out of her unlocked vehicle. The theft is believed to have occurred between 1 a.m. and 11:20 a.m.

♦  Saturday, Sept. 12, 11:30 a.m. — A fourth victim in the Tyler Walk neighborhood, from Valley View Way, reported that a GPS unit valued at $500 and a wallet containing personal documents and credit cards were stolen from an unlocked vehicle overnight.

♦  Monday, Sept. 14, 6 p.m. — Shortly after 6 p.m., a student of Bucks County Community College reported that his vehicle had been vandalized and his iPod valued at $400 was stolen while his car was parked in the school parking lot between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The victim provided police with information regarding a suspect who may have filled his car with shredded paper and smeared a white substance on the windows. The situation remains under investigation.

♦  Monday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. — At approximately 6 p.m., a resident of Harmony Way reported that someone stole a set of golf clubs, valued a $1,000 from his open garage. The victim told police that he hadn’t heard or seen anything suspicious before the theft. Detectives will follow up on the stolen property.

♦  Wednesday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m. — A resident of Clearview Drive reported that someone entered her vehicle while it was parked in her driveway overnight and took her wallet and change purse. The estimated amount of cash taken was $90.

♦  Friday, Sept. 18 — Police received reports from four residents that had property stolen from their vehicles overnight. The thefts occurred on Linton Hill Road, Waterford Place and two homes on Merion Drive. The victims told police that cash; iPods and GPS units were among the items taken with an estimated value of more than $800.

♦  Saturday, Sept. 19 — Residents of Julianne Court and Crittenden Drive reported that someone stole items from their vehicles overnight. The victims reported $80 in cash, an iPod valued at $300 and a Sirius satellite radio valued at $450 missing.

♦  Monday, Sept. 21, 7:40 a.m. — At approximately 7:40 a.m., a resident of Opal Court in Crown Point reported that someone broke the window of his vehicle in order to take his GPS mounting system along with $10 in cash.

♦  Monday, Sept. 21, 8:30 a.m. — Two residents from nearby Diamond Drive called police around 8:30 a.m. to report that their vehicles had also been damaged overnight by someone who gained entry and took GPS units.

The following incidents were reported in Northampton Township (all information provided by Northampton Township police):

♦  Sunday, Sept. 13 — A complainant of the 200 block of Magnolia Drive reported that sometime between 4 p.m. Sept. 11 and 8 a.m. Sept. 12 his unlocked vehicle, which was parked in the driveway, had been entered by unknown subject(s). Found missing from the vehicle were a watch, radar detector and an engine tuner. The value of the missing items was estimated at $3,600.

♦  Tuesday, Sept. 15 — A complainant reported their unsecured garage on the first block of Woodland Drive was entered sometime between 12:01 a.m. Sept. 8 and 6 p.m. Sept. 15. Taken from it were a set of golf clubs and a desktop computer. No value was given for the items.

♦  Wednesday, Sept. 16 — A complainant of the first block of Summit Circle reported the theft of power tools from his vehicle sometime after midnight. The vehicle was parked in the driveway but had been left unlocked. He also believes another vehicle in the driveway had been entered but nothing was found to be missing from it. The tools had an estimated value of $660.

♦  Wednesday, Sept. 16 — A complainant on the first block of Buttonwood Drive reported the theft of a GPS unit from his unlocked vehicle that had been parked in the driveway between 10:30 p.m. Sept. 15 and 7 a.m. Sept. 16. The device had an estimated value of $100.

♦  Wednesday, Sept. 16 —  A complainant on the first block of Shady Lawn Drive reported the theft of a satellite radio and a pair of sunglasses from his unlocked vehicle that had been parked in the driveway. The theft occurred sometime between 9:30 p.m. Sept. 15 and 6:30 a.m. Sept. 16. The estimated value of the stolen items is $300.

♦  Thursday, Sept. 17 — A complainant on the 100 block of Schan Drive reported the theft of a $150 GPS unit from his unlocked vehicle sometime between 2 p.m. Sept. 13 and 4 p.m. Sept. 16.