Crime & Safety

Police Charge Pair in String of Daylight Burglaries

James Richardson, 25, is alleged to have aided Lindenwold resident Joseph M. Kunz in the commission of burglaries in Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Cherry Hill and Runnemede.

An Oaklyn man suspected of burglarizing a Belmont Ave. home on the border of Haddon Twp. and his alleged accomplice, who made the incredibly bad choice to visit a Dunkin' Donuts next to a police station after reportedly burglarizing a nearby home, have been charged in four more area break-ins.

James Richardson, 25, of the 200 block of Beechwood Avenue, Oaklyn, and Joseph M. Kunz, 35, of the 100 block of East Park Avenue, Lindenwold, have each been charged with conspiracy to commit theft and burglary of the home. Both were already in police custody at the time the charges were issued.

Kunz was arrested 11 days ago for a burglary in the 100 block of Virginia Ave. in Haddon Township after a surveillance video in a Dunkin' Donuts next to the police station allegedly showed him with items that had been stolen.

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He was additionally charged with criminal mischief for kicking open and damaging the locked front door of the home in the 800 block of Avondale Ave. on Nov. 26.

Police have also linked the pair to additional burglaries in Camden County: in the 500 block of Maple Avenue and the 100 block of Lansdowne Avenue in Haddonfield, the unit block of Ferndale Avenue in Runnemede and a home in the Old Orchard section of Cherry Hill.

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Police said they expect to hand down even more charges against the pair. Several stolen items have been recovered, but most of the valuables and jewelry taken in the incidents were sold in Philadelphia soon after the burglaries, they said

According to Haddon Township police, Kunz and Richardson randomly selected homes that appeared unoccupied in the mid-morning, daytime hours, after most people had left for work. The pair allegedly targeted homes without cars in the driveway, and would first knock at the front door or ring the doorbell in an attempt to determine if anyone was home. Once inside, police said, they ransacked master bedrooms, seeking jewelry, cash, coin jars and computers.

Police encourage everyone to call 911 immediately if they see suspicious activity or if someone is acting suspiciously in their neighborhood; such a call led to the capture of Richardson. Many of the burglary suspects arrested are a direct result of residents immediately contacting police to suspicious activity, they said.


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