Abington Township police investigate after Asian business owners fall victim to burglary and theft

ABINGTON TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Authorities in Montgomery County are on high alert after a series of home break-ins.

Abington Township police said criminals have been targeting a specific group over the past week.

“Criminals target Asian American business owners based on the stereotype that they keep large amounts of cash at home,” said Det. Lt. Steven Fink.

Fink says the businesses are in Philadelphia, but the suspects were under surveillance for an extended period of time and followed to their homes.

According to police, a group of people broke into a family’s home in Huntingdon Valley in the middle of the night on Tuesday and brutally attacked the homeowner.

“I cannot comment on the severity of her injuries, but I can say that it was a pretty serious attack,” said Fink. “A group of criminals forced their way into this house and smashed a lead pipe. One of the residents was attacked with a pipe.”

In another case the week before, a family in Meadowbrook was robbed while not home. The incidents occurred just two to three miles apart in what officials say is a disturbing trend across the country and locally.

“Our investigators are looking for similarities between our crimes and other crimes that have occurred in Montgomery County and the region to determine if it is the same criminals committing all of these crimes or if there is more than one group… We are still trying to figure out exactly which cases are linked and how far this organization extends,” Fink said.

In the meantime, police are asking neighbors to be alert and report any suspicious activity.

“In one of the crimes, the guard on the street where the break-in actually posed as a jogger. The suspicious thing was that the jogger was wearing a surgical mask while jogging,” Fink said.

Neighbors in the Meadowbrook community were disturbed that a member of their community had been attacked in this manner. They spoke very positively of their neighbor, saying they had lived in the neighborhood for about 30 years.

Abington Police are making these recent cases a priority and are vigorously pursuing leads.

“We don’t want anyone else to get hurt. We want all of our residents to feel safe and secure. We will catch the suspects and bring them to justice,” Fink said.

Action News reached out to the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia for comment on this story but did not receive a response.

The Town of Abington is asking its residents to take the following steps to ensure their safety:

• Watch for cars in the neighborhood that are not normally there

• Be aware of people who may follow you home

• Consider how to secure valuables in your home

• Motion detectors on the front and back of a house help prevent break-ins

• Install surveillance cameras on or around your home or business

• Consider installing an alarm system for your home or business