Man Charged In String Of Montco Burglaries

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A 24-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with committing a string of burglaries in Montgomery and Chester counties, authorities said.

Jabir Parker, 24, of Philadelphia, was charged in the burglaries of two homes and the attempted burglary of a third home, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

He was also accused of stealing multiple items of jewelry worth nearly $800,000 as well as a home safe, authorities said.

One of the homes involved Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley.

Authorities said that additional suspects in these burglaries are being sought.

The burglaries occurred during the overnight hours between June 22 and July 18 and were found to have been forced entries into the homes.

Authorities said that residents at two homes — in Bryn Mawr and in Wynnewood, both in Lower Merion Township — were not home at the time of the crimes.

In the third burglary, the Malvern homeowners were awakened by suspicious sounds before finding a man inside the home and calling 911.

Authorities outlined the details of each burglary:

The first burglary in Bryn Mawr occurred on June 22 and was reported to Lower Merion Township Police the next day.

The investigation found that 12 pieces of jewelry, with an estimated value of $106,700, were stolen.

The second burglary occurred on July 5 in Wynnewood.

The investigation by Lower Merion Police found that 28 items of jewelry worth an estimated $687,292 was stolen as well as a safe.

The third burglary, interrupted by the homeowners, occurred on July 18. No items were stolen.

Through a technique known as “geo-fencing,” detectives subpoenaed a list of all cellphones in use on the exact date, time and location of each burglary to find that there was only one cellphone in use at all three burglary locations.

That cellphone belonged to Parker, whose voice was captured by a nanny cam talking, presumably on a cellphone, during the second burglary.

Parker was arrested on Monday by Lower Merion Police with the assistance of FBI SWAT, Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia Police and Pennsylvania Attorney’s General Office.

He is charged with multiple felonies including Burglary, Conspiracy to Burglary, Criminal Trespass (Breaking into a Structure), Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, Criminal Use of a Communications Facility, and related crimes.

He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar, who set bail at $1 million cash.

Parker was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A bail review hearing was held on Tuesday, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sept. 10.

Anyone with any information about the suspects, sales of the stolen items or tips related to the burglaries should call Lower Merion Police at 610-649-1000.