Incarcerated man found to be a match to blood sample
In a series of events straight out of an episode of CSI, a DNA sample taken from the scene of a burglary in Lower Gwynedd has led to the arrest of a suspect, according to police.
Lower Gwynedd Police Department executed a warrant for Carmen Nicholas Carrozza on July 1 who was charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and criminal mischief. The arrest was made possible, police say, after blood found at the scene was a DNA match for the incarcerated Carrozza.
On Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, police were dispatched at 4:28 p.m. to a home located at 1505 Cedar Hill Road. Homeowners reported to police that they’d left their one-story home around 7:30 a.m. that morning, and upon returning, found a window box fan had been pushed through the window, and was found on a desk below the window. Police said that many items were “ransacked” inside the home, with drawers left “overturned, emptied, and extended.”
Police reported ransacking of property in various rooms throughout the house. Homeowners told police that a television had been moved from the living room to the kitchen, and that a pillow from the daughter’s bed was missing its case and was moved from her bed into a nearby hallway.
Police also reported finding a blood smear on a dresser inside the home. Samples were taken and processed by the Pennsylvania State Police. The resulting DNA was entered into CODIS, and a possible lead resulted, according to reports. Lower Gwynedd Police traveled to George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thorton, Delaware County, where Carrozza was already incarcerated as a result of separate charges, to retrieve a sample from the potential suspect. Sample swabs taken from Carrozza’s mouth later matched the DNA of the blood found on the dresser, according to police.
The homeowners reported to LGPD a full list of stolen goods taken from their home, which totaled a value of $428, according to reports. Carrozza, 55, of Philadelphia, is being held at the Montgomery County Prison, unable to post bail, which was set at $5,077, $5,000 cash bail with a parole detainer. Carrozza is slated for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 1 before Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard 38-1-21.
