The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office recently announced that it has been working with the Abington Police Department and other law enforcement partners at the federal, state and local level for the last several years to investigate a crime trend involving thieves targeting the homes of Asian American business owners.
According to the District Attorney, on August 9 in Huntingdon Valley “three men with their faces concealed by masks, approached the victim’s home. After creating a ruse of a fake pizza delivery to ensure that no one was home, they forced their way into the home. The suspects stole more than $10,000 worth of cash, jewelry and valuable items including a child’s violin and piggy bank.”
Fredy Alexander Beltran-Ortiz, 25, from Queens, New York, has been arrested after the August 9 burglary in Huntingdon Valley.
From the District Attorney’s press release:
Organized groups of thieves are targeting the homes of Asian American business owners due to the stereotype that Asian business owners have items of high value in their homes. The suspects have been known to case the Asian-owned businesses to learn the life patterns of the owners, and following them home from work to learn where they live. While the victims are at work on a future day, the suspects will break into their homes to steal cash and valuables. This is a crime trend that is occurring throughout the country.
On August 9, 2022, one such burglary occurred at the home of an Asian American business owner on Andrew Rd. in the Huntingdon Valley section of Abington Township. On that day, while the victims were working at their business in Philadelphia, three men with their faces concealed by masks, approached the victim’s home. After creating a ruse of a fake pizza delivery to ensure that no one was home, they forced their way into the home. The suspects stole more than $10,000 worth of cash, jewelry and valuable items including a child’s violin and piggy bank.
After a lengthy investigation and as a result of DNA evidence collected from the scene, Abington detectives identified Fredy Alexander Beltran-Ortiz, a 25-year-old male from Queens, New York as a suspect. In July 2023, while working in cooperation with NYPD and Nassau County Detectives, Beltran-Ortiz was arrested. On August 14, 2023, Abington Detectives traveled to Rikers Island Prison in New York and transported Beltran-Ortiz to Abington, where he faces five (5) felony burglary related charges. Beltran-Ortiz was arraigned by Montgomery County District Judge Patrick O. Krouse. Abington Police recommended $100,000 cash bail, due to the seriousness of the crime, as well as Beltran-Ortiz’s transient status (he had recently provided addresses in New York, Florida and Texas).
Although the bail recommendation from police was $100,000 cash bail, Beltran-Ortiz’s bail was set at $1,000, which he posted later that day and he was released. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 20, 2023.
The Abington Township Police Department wants business owners to be aware of this crime trend and
to take the following preventive steps:
- Be aware of cars in the neighborhood that aren’t normally there
- Be aware of anyone who might be following you home
- Give thought to how you secure valuables in your house
- Motion sensor lighting on the front and back of a home will help deter break-ins
- Install surveillance cameras on or around the home and business
- Consider having a home or business alarm system installed
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Photo courtesy of Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office