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A Philadelphia man is in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after he allegedly burglarized a home in Whitemarsh Township, took a shower, made ramen, then stole a bike, video game equipment, and various other items.
Rene Velez-Cruz, 31, was arraigned on Sunday morning on felony counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and related offenses, stemming from the alleged break-in along the 3000 block of Mitchell Court. He’s currently being held on $25,000 cash bail, along with a probation detainer.
Police allege Velez-Cruz made entry into the home through an unlocked ground-floor window on April 22, then proceeded to take a shower in the master bedroom before preparing three packages of ramen noodles in the kitchen. Velez-Cruz then stole a bicycle, video game equipment, a watch, water, and bathroom supplies, according to charging documents.
Investigators said Velez-Cruz left his clothes behind, and a DNA sample was taken from the utensil he used for the noodles. Surveillance footage from neighboring homes led police to identify Velez-Cruz as the suspect, as they positively identified him via the footage and noted he used the same motus operandi during a similar incident that occurred in Cheltenham in October 2020, the report states.
In that case, Velez-Cruz pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal trespassing. Court records show he was sentenced to 179 days to 23 months in county jail in May 2022, and was subsequently released on time served.
Police also said they’ve tied Velez-Cruz to a May 2023 burglary along the 3000 block of Butler Pike, in which he allegedly stole an Xbox gaming system. As a result of that case, investigators filed additional counts of the aforementioned charges against Velez-Cruz.
His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on June 12 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Dara Nasatir.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
