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An elderly woman was victimized when she allowed a man claiming to be a City employee inside her Whitman home.
An unknown man rang the doorbell of a residence on the 2400 block of South Fourth Street at 3 p.m. Aug. 2, Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said. He identified himself as a City maintenance worker and explained his need to check her electric since an area transformer blew.
The 85-year-old directed him to the basement and he requested her to flip the circuit breaker switches, Tolliver said. While below ground level, the man was suspiciously on his cell phone, so she asked for his ID, which he claimed he was not required to carry since he was a supervisor. Once she threatened to call police, he fled from the home.
The woman saw an upstairs light was on and the broken lock on a wooden chest that had about $5,000 and an undetermined amount of jewelry missing, Tolliver said.
The man was described as Latino, age 40 to 50, 5-foot-8 and clean-shaven; having a heavy build and dark-colored hair; and wearing a blue shirt, jeans and sunglasses. A description of the second offender was not available at press time.
To report information, call South Detectives’ tip line at 215-685-1635, text PPDTIP (773847) or visit phillypolice.com/forms.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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Midnight madness
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