4 vehicles broken into at rec area
Four vehicles parked near Monocacy Hill Recreation Area in Amity Township were broken into on Memorial Day, Amity Police Chief Jeffrey Smith said.
The passenger window of each vehicle parked on Geiger Road was shattered, possibly by a center punch, a tool used by carpenters to make a small hole to mark the spot for a drill bit, Smith said.
The break-ins occurred in the afternoon. Two purses were reported stolen, he said.
With people hitting Berks County recreation trails hard lately due to the coronavirus crisis that has shut down many workplaces, the trail head and recreation area parking lots are overflowing some days.
Monocacy Hill is one heavily visited site. When the parking lot on Geiger Road fills up, trail users park along the road, Smith said.
The wooded seclusion of the area makes them vulnerable to criminals looking to steal purses or wallets left behind by their owners.
Beside Monday’s crimes, three vehicle break-ins were reported in the last week or so in the same location, Smith said.
“Because of the lockdown people are going up there more than usual,” Smith said. “People are getting outdoors and exercising. The overflow from the parking lot is parking on the street. It’s a secluded area.”
Thieves know people tend to leave their wallets and other valuables in their locked vehicles when they go into health clubs or recreation trails.
In 2013, three men were arrested for breaking into vehicles and stealing debit cards from the parking lots of Nolde Forest and the Flying Hills Fitness & Racquetball Club in Cumru Township as well as several locations in Exeter Township.
One of the men was arrested in 2017 after his release from prison for breaking into a car in the lot of Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex in Spring Township.
To guard against these crimes, police urge people to not leave valuables or personal identification items in the vehicle when they go to exercise.
Personal identification documents such as Social Security cards should be locked away in the home, Bern Township Police Chief Wesley Waugh said.
“We continue to urge people to evaluate what you need to take with you,” Waugh said.