Pillowcase burglar strikes homes in north Raleigh
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Authorities say a burglar using the victims' own pillowcase to haul away jewelry is behind over half a dozen break-ins in north Raleigh
Homes in Manchester, Chandler Point, Stonebridge and Annie's Woods neighborhoods have all been hit, going back to Nov. 1st.
The Manchester neighborhood alone has seen at least six break-ins.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office said one of the victims caught a picture of a home-invader on a security camera.
The Sheriff's Office said the burglar sneaks in, breaking a back door or window, and steals mostly jewelry and some smaller items like guns, but leaves many other valuables behind.
Glenn Taylor, the president of the Manchester homeowners association, said the pillowcase thief spends only a few minutes committing the crime, and that most occur between 2 and 4 p.m.
"One idea that's been floated around is that the burglar may be a parent at Brassfield Elementary School," Taylor said. "And he's coming in, burglarizing houses, and picking up his child, or keeping an eye on the area because a lot of the houses empty out around that time, picking up their children."
ABC11 spoke with one of the latest break-in victims. He didn't want to be identified by name, but says his home was hit just two days ago during that same afternoon timeframe.
He said the thief took between $20,000 - $30,000 worth of jewelry, including a pocket watch he got from his grandfather.
He says the burglar's car left behind a stain of antifreeze. The victim's neighbor said he saw a light colored Astro Van with a ladder on top pull into the driveway.
"Most of that can obviously be replaced," the victim said. "We're glad we weren't home. If we had been home maybe five minutes earlier, we might've run into him - no telling what he might've done."
Taylor said he'd like to see folks looking out for neighbors given the number of burglaries.
"Don't be afraid to knock on somebody's door or walk into the driveway and say 'Hey what are you doing here," Taylor said. "Don't approach a stranger directly, but you can yell across your yard."
"Sometimes just yelling at someone, 'What are you doing here?" is enough to chase them off."
