Norristown Police Nab Serial Burglar

Norristown Police have arrested a Sellersville man and are charging him in connection with 15 burglaries in the Norristown area.

Eduardo Moreno-Naranjo, of Sellersville, is being charged with 13 counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, receiving stolen property and theft by unlawful taking, two counts of criminal attempt to commit burglary and one count of possessing an instrument of crime according to an affidavit filed by the Norristown Police Department.

Moreno-Naranjo was apprehended on Sept. 29 when an officer on patrol was flagged down by a resident of West Marshall Street who reported seeing Moreno-Naranjo driving westbound on West Marshall Street in a red Mercury Grand Marquis. The resident told the officer that the driver of the car was involved in burglaries.

The officer conducted a traffic stop on the red Mercury and asked the driver, identified as Moreno-Naranjo, if he could look inside the car an trunk. Moreno-Naranjo reportedly agreed. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered the following items:

• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Large Pair of Scissors
• Flatscreen television
• Dell laptop computer
• Shakira CD (inside the computer)

According to police records, the computer and CD were reported stolen on Sept. 28 from a home on the 600 block West Main Street. An officer contacted the reporting person who identified the computer as belonging to her.

Police also contacted another burglary victim from the 500 block of Astor Street who witnessed the burglary in progress and took a picture of the suspect leaving his porch. The victim positively identified Moreno-Naranjo as the person who burglarized his home.

After being questioned by police, Moreno-Naranjo reportedly gave written statements to authorities admitting his involvement in the burglaries and attempted burglaries of several homes in the following neighborhoods:

• 500 block of Stanbridge Street (on Aug. 22 & Sept. 19)
• 600 West Main Street (on Sept. 9 & Sept. 28)
• 500 block of Chain Street (on Sept. 26)
• 600 block of Chain Street (on Sept. 29)
• 500 block of Astor Street (on Sept. 26)
• 700 West Marshall Street (on Sept. 27)

Moreno-Naranjo reportedly told police that his burglary spree began in July of 2012 and given the methods used and the pattern of admitted burglaries, authorities believe he is also responsible for the following additional burglaries:

• 100 block of Hartranft Avenue (on Aug. 3)
• 500 block of Noble Street (on Aug. 19)
• 700 block of George Street (on Aug. 21)
• 1200 block of West Main Street (on Sept. 20)
• 00 block of Hartranft Avenue (on Sept 20)
• 500 block of West Lafayette Street (on Sept. 26)

Moreno-Naranjo was arraigned in district court on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. before Judge Francis J. Lawrence Jr.