Serial burglaries targeting homes from Gladwyne to Fishtown are part of a trend of ‘crime tourists’, police say

It took a burglar just 13 minutes to clear out the valuables from John Sinis’ home in Fishtown last month, loading a gym bag and a pillowcase with electronics, jewelry, and the spare key to his car.

“This is a quiet neighborhood,” Sinis said. “I never would’ve pictured this happening.”

Twenty days later, and around the corner, police said, Allie Omdahl’s Ring doorbell camera captured the same man trying to smash one of her windows with a screwdriver until her neighbors walked by and scared him off.

Investigators say Erik Gomez targeted these homes and others in parts of the city and in suburban towns including Gladwyne and Media, always using the same MO: parking nearby and waiting until the targeted homes were unoccupied before breaking in.

Lower Merion Township police issued a warrant this week for Gomez’s arrest in connection with a Nov. 27 break-in in Gladwyne, and Philadelphia police are also looking for him in connection with the incidents in the city.

Gomez, 39, whose last known address was in Levittown, was on parole for a previous burglary conviction at the time police say he targeted at least four homes, including Sinis’, which he entered by pushing in an air conditioner in a first-floor window and climbing inside.

Those alleged break-ins are part of a larger trend in which investigators say so-called crime tourists are driving to traditionally safe neighborhoods, hitting empty homes quickly, and fleeing from any signs of conflict or potential identification.

Omdahl said the boldness of the attempted burglary at her home surprised her — it happened in broad daylight while the neighborhood was full of people out walking.

“Just the feeling that someone is watching you and will so brazenly break into your home, without a mask, in the middle of the day, is so unsettling,” she said.

“I lived in Fishtown for years, and I don’t ever remember feeling this way,” she added. “Even my neighbors who have been here their whole lives say this has never happened before.”

The same day Omdahl’s home was targeted, Abington Township Police Detective Sgt. Troy Hummel sent a community alert to the Montgomery County municipality’s residents, warning them about the rise of reported break-ins by organized theft rings.

Hummel, in an interview, said groups from South America or Eastern Europe who have entered the country illegally have been targeting Abington and its surrounding towns since 2021, driving to the area in rented cars with out-of-state plates.

Last year, eight break-ins attributed to such groups were reported in Abington, where one or two such incidents are reported in an average year. Three burglaries have been investigated this year by police so far.

The groups work as a team of two to four people, usually arriving just after dusk. They work quickly, ducking in and out of empty homes in minutes while avoiding cameras.

In one instance, the group used a device that blocks cell phone and WiFi signals in order to disable a home’s camera system, according to Hummel.

“They’re a sophisticated network, and they do a fair amount of scouting and intelligence ahead of time,” Hummel said. “They’re able to blend in, because they’re not in any databases.

“These are professionals,” he said. “They’re like ghosts sometimes.”

When investigators have been able to track the vehicles used in the burglaries, they often have found connections to reported burglaries in New York, Connecticut, and California, Hummel said.

Last December, four men from Chile were pulled over in the Meadowbrook section of Abington after officers noticed they appeared to be casing homes, police said.

Inside the car were Alvaro Javier Ganin-Ganin, 37; Nicolas Andres Matus-Lucero, 30; Vaster Miller Guajardo-Pedrerom, 32; and Jorge Fabrizeo Sepulveda-Alvarez, 35, all with fake IDs. Police said the men told them they had driven to the area from California and were visiting a friend.

But they were carrying masks, pry bars, and other burglary tools, as well as photos of specific homes in the neighborhood, along with a list of items to steal from each, according to investigators.

All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary in May and were sentenced to six to 23 months in jail, court records show.

Hummel said the best way for residents to protect their homes is to make them look lived-in: Leave lights on timers and trim outside bushes to eliminate any places where burglars can hide.

In Lower Merion, police offer a “vacant homes” program that allows residents to add their addresses to patrol routes when they are on vacation or otherwise away.

Sinis said he took extra precautions after losing his valuables at his Fishtown home, including putting up security cameras.

“I hate to tell people to spend money, but honestly it’s worth it,” he said. “There are just bad people out there, and if you don’t keep stuff secure, you become an easy target.”