Police: Bethlehem Home Invasion May Be Linked to Another Brazen Robbery

Authorities are working to find four masked and armed gunmen who pulled off a brazen home invasion and double robbery Thursday in Berwyn and East Norriton -- a crime eerily similar to a Bethlehem home invasion in December and subsequent Bixler's Jewelers robbery in South Whitehall.

On Thursday night, the owner of Shuler Jewelers in East Norriton and his wife were held up at gunpoint in their Berwyn home. The couple was bound with duct tape and the jewelry store owner was forced to take two of the gunmen to his store while his wife was held bound at gunpoint inside their home, according to a story on Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch.

Tredyffrin Police Detectives are now working with the FBI and several regional law enforcement agencies to see if Thursday's crime is connected to the Bixler's robbery, which began with a home invasion in Bethlehem.

Tredyffrin Police Detective Sgt. Todd Bereda says the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police have been brought into the investigation to help provide information about possible links to other cases with similar suspects and methods. Police are investigating whether the Berwyn case is linked to an organized crime ring.

In December, three armed men had taken a Bethlehem man from his home to the jewelry store where he worked -- Bixler's Jewelers at 3900 Hamilton Blvd. in South Whitehall  -- and forced him at gunpoint to open the store's safe, police have said. Rolex watches and other jewelry were stolen.

The fugitives in the Bethlehem/South Whitehall case were described as:

• Man #1: About 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing about 200 lbs. wearing glass, dark clothing, light colored face covering and a knit cap with a stripe.
• Man #2: Wore dark colored jacket with hood, dark clothing and light colored face covering.
• Man #3: Wore gray hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

Anyone with information has been encouraged to call 610-398-0337.

Bereda, the Tredyffrin Police Detective, says police need the public's help to find the two cars the robbers used in the Berwyn and East Norriton crimes.

The first is the jeweler/victims' own car: A 2012 White four door Volkswagen Passatt with PA license plate DJM0696. It is registered to the jewelry store (Shuler’s Jewelers) owned by the victims in East Norriton, Montgomery County. Police descirbe the other vehicle as "a silver or blue sedan, possibly a Chrysler sebring" or similar vehicle.

The robbers are described by police as "four black males who were wearing masks and armed with semi-automatic handguns."

Anyone with information that could help police in the investigation are asked to call Tredyffrin Township Police at at 610-647-1440 or call 9-1-1.