Residents In Doylestown On Edge After Break-ins

Residents of a Bucks County neighborhood are on edge after a block of homes was burglarized recently.

The crimes were reported along Maple Avenue in Doylestown.

The recent burglaries have made for an especially tough time for Sharon Mowen, who cares for her dying mother. Mowen says someone broke into her home and stole her mother's valuable jewelry, which had been in her family since the 1920s.

She tells FOX 29's Dave Kinchen the thief also stole her grandmother's engagement ring and a medal that belonged to her grandfather.

After the thief ransacked her bedroom, she says they made off with the computer from her desk.

Mowen believes the thief was determined to get inside and tried several times, starting with a side door then a side window.

Finally, the thief made it in through a basement window.

"They just ripped the wood right off, shattered the glass and then pulled it off its hinges and climbed right in there," Mowen said.

Mowen's home is the fourth house on Maple Street that was hit in a little over a month.

Mowen says she has since installed an alarm system in her place.

"It feels strange, I mean, I feel violated."

Police tell FOX 29 they are increasing their patrols in the area of the burglaries.