A burglar armed with a blue-handled hammer smashed his way into a Sunoco gas station in Glenside on Sept. 1, forcing open the front door and an interior office before making off with cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets. Cheltenham Township police say the entire break-in at the station, located at 300 South Easton Road, was captured on camera, and the case remains an active investigation.
Suspect Emerged From Produce Junction Lot
According to Patch, the suspect approached the Sunoco on foot after emerging from the rear of the Produce Junction parking lot across the street, then crossed Easton Road to reach the business. Police told the outlet he used the hammer to force open both the store's front door and a separate interior office door before taking the cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets. Once the burglary was finished, he fled back across Easton Road and disappeared through the same Produce Junction lot he had come from, the report notes.
Investigators also said the man appeared to be carrying either a fixed-blade knife or another tool tucked into a sheath on his belt, per the same account. As NBC10 Philadelphia reported, surveillance footage captured the full break-in at the Glenside station, giving detectives a clear record of how the burglary unfolded even as the suspect's identity remains unknown.
Detectives Still Seeking Tips
Cheltenham Township Police Department has described the case as an active investigation and is asking anyone with information to come forward. Detectives can be reached at 215-885-1600 or by emailing [email protected], the department said in details relayed to Patch.
The Glenside break-in isn't the only recent gas station burglary to hit the region. Pennsylvania State Police reported a separate overnight burglary on Sept. 15-16 at a Sunoco in West Pikeland Township, Chester County, according to the Pottstown Mercury. In that case, surveillance video showed a masked man breaking through the station's front door and entering the store twice to steal cigarettes from behind the counter, troopers said. State Police asked anyone with information on the West Pikeland incident to call the Embreeville station at 610-486-6280.
No arrests have been announced in the Glenside case, and Cheltenham police have not said whether the Sept. 1 burglary is connected to any other incidents in the area. For now, investigators are relying on the public to help identify the man seen forcing his way into the Easton Road station.
