EASTON, Pa. — Car break-ins and property damage stemming from a group of teens and young adults sparked a discussion on public safety during the Easton City Council meeting Wednesday night.
During public comment, South Side Civic Association President Melody Davis-Rogers noted she had witnessed numerous young people in and around her neighborhood pushing into locals’ front doors during the day and even breaking into vehicles overnight.
- South Side Civic Association President Melody Davis-Rogers reported concerns of vehicle break-ins and property damage
- Police Chief Carl Scalzo noted that law enforcement presence in the area is being increased
- Scalzo recommended residents lock their cars and homes, and use the Crimewatch app to report suspicious activity
“I had a kid come up to my house, and was walking by with his little group of eight people. He did a body slam in my door, bent that screen door and took off down the street,” Davis-Rogers said, adding three of the young individuals involved stayed at a nearby laundromat even after she contacted police and officers were dispatched to her home.
"They're breaking into the cars between 11 o'clock at night, 2 o'clock in the morning. They're not stealing anything from the cars, they're breaking into the cars and destroying the inside of the cars. So we need to get something done about this."South Side Civic Association President Melody Davis-Rogers
Davis-Rogers also claimed she witnessed juveniles harassing a woman in the street, though she could not confirm if the woman contacted law enforcement.
Furthermore, Davis-Rogers informed council young people were walking along streets and testing door handles to break into vehicles — a concern echoed on the Easton PA Post Facebook group, which showed Blink camera footage of an individual touching a car door in front of a residence.
“They're breaking into the cars between 11 o'clock at night, 2 o'clock in the morning. They're not stealing anything from the cars, they're breaking into the cars and destroying the inside of the cars. So we need to get something done about this,” Davis-Rogers said.
Davis-Rogers requested council consider setting a curfew for juveniles, though Mayor Sal Panto Jr. noted any such action would have to apply across the city, adding he was not in favor of the idea.
The mayor did acknowledge the issue though, stating it was occurring throughout all of Easton’s neighborhoods.
“I mean I have kids in my neighborhood, and some of them are rambunctious,” Panto said. “We have a total lack of respect with the younger adults. They have a problem throughout the city with young adults. It used to be the 20- to 30-year-olds, today it's 12- to 20-[year-olds].”
City council held its meeting on South Side, at the Easton Area Neighborhood Center, 902 Philadelphia Road.
Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo said officers had taken reports of five cars that were broken into as of Tuesday, with at least one catalytic converter stolen. The chief noted the youths appear to be between the ages of 12 and 17.
“What we're currently doing is, we have a bunch of things in place right now that we're working over here on the South Side – flooding the area with additional patrols, plus extra patrols that we currently have working over this way. Every resource that we have available to us, meaning you know, additional units and things like that,” Scalzo said.
“But currently, what we're trying to do is just identify who these kids are, and then hold them accountable for this type of thing. Hopefully, through the identification we'll be able to curb the behavior and kind of put an end to it.”
Scalzo noted the activity has risen since the end of the school year, adding the youths involved show no signs of fear or respect for adults or other authority figures.
The police chief confirmed the individuals were spotted walking around South Side and testing doors to see if they are locked, in addition to scouting potential targets to return to in the evening.
Scalzo recommended citizens use the Crimewatch app to provide any information that could help in identifying those responsible, noting three juveniles have been identified as of Wednesday.
For now, the department is encouraging the public to stay safe by locking their vehicle and home doors and reporting any activity as soon as possible.
“We're going to hit Shiloh Church here this weekend, we're going to basically go door to door, advise people of what's going on with these kids, making sure they're locking doors, and if they hear something in the evening, make sure that they're kind of getting up and taking a look, and then if something does happen, make sure they call us right away so we can identify them,” Scalzo said.
