Crime & Safety

Second District Sees Uptick In Residential Burglaries

24 burglaries in December and 15 in January reported in Bethesda, North Bethesda and Chevy Chase areas, according to Montgomery County police.

A rash of residential burglaries has struck the Bethesda, Chevy Chase and North Bethesda areas in December and January, according to a recent crime alert released by Montgomery County police.

24 burglaries were reported in the second district in December and 15 had been reported in January as of Jan. 5, according to the alert, sent out to residents by Dana Stroman, a county police community services officer.

Seven of the burglaries may be related to a recent and three other burglary trends are either new or have spilled over from other districts, according to Stroman.

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Capt. David Falcinelli, second district commander, will brief the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board on the recent crime surge at a Jan. 17 meeting, the group announced on their blog.

Neighboring Potomac, which falls in the first district, has also recently seen an uptick in residential burglaries, prompting residents to form a

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to the residential burglaries, a series of robberies along Western Avenue has been reported in the last month, according to police spokesman Howard Hersh. The robberies fall within the jurisdiction of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, Hersh said.

According to Stroman, the second district incidents include:

  • An attempted residential burglary on Flanders Ave. in North Bethesda. Police say two suspects wearing hoodies ad dark clothing--both black men, one taller than the other--knocked on several doors of a residence before attempting to enter the home through a side window.The men were scared off by the victim and didn’t gain entry to the home, according to the alert. Within hours, police believe the same suspects attempted to burglarize another home in the same manner on Oldfield Drive in Kensington. The suspects didn’t gain access to the home.
  • A residential burglary on Landon Lane in Bethesda. Police are describing the suspect as a black male, between 20 and 40 years old and between five feet, ten inches and six feet tall, with a large upper body. The suspect may have been driving a dark blue Chevrolet, with Maryland tags that may be a combination of 8DFS92. According to the alert, a navy blue car was also described at the scene of two other residential burglaries in the area.
  • A residential burglary on Overhill Road in Bethesda. Police say the suspect was seen getting into a white car that had been backed into the driveway of the home. The victim said the car appeared to have Pennsylvania tags which may contain 540T. According to police, a similar vehicle has been spotted at the scene of burglaries in the third district and in Frederick and Howard counties.

Police are asking anyone who sees suspicious activity to call 911 or call police at 301-279-8000. Police are also offering free home security surveys.

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