Penn's campus and areas nearby were struck by a series of 11 burglaries last month, and though police have a suspect in custody, the problem appears to remain.
Penn Police have arrested Jose Torres, 22, for one break-in and say they have linked him to four others.
An arrest warrant was issued for Torres after police found fingerprints they believe are his in a second-story apartment at 4141 Spruce St. The apartment had been burglarized on Jan. 23.
Police say they have found physical evidence that Torres was also involved in break-ins at 232 S. 41st St., another apartment at 4141 Spruce St. and two apartments at 326 S. 42nd St.
These burglaries all took place between Jan. 12 and Jan. 23.
All told, an estimated $5,000 worth of property was taken from those five residences.
Philadelphia Police have also linked Torres to two burglaries outside Penn Police jurisdiction.
Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Mike Morrin said that police are still trying to determine whether Torres might be connected to any other break-ins in the area.
Officials have increased the concentration of officers near the break-in sites, Morrin said.
"We have a lot more uniformed and plainclothes officers in the area, especially up and around the areas where we've been having problems," he said.
Morrin expressed hope that Torres' arrest will reduce the unusually high rate of burglaries in the area.
But the area has seen three more burglaries since the arrest.
On Jan. 31, a student reported a burglary at his first-floor apartment at 4209 Pine St. He said he left the building at 10 a.m. and returned at 12:30 p.m. to find his IBM laptop -- worth about $500 -- gone.
The front door of the building was left unlocked, but police found evidence of forced entry.
On the same day, a student reported that an iPod, a digital camera and two laptops worth a combined $1,900 were stolen from his apartment at 4055 Spruce St. between 11:45 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Police found no sign of forced entry.
Witnesses say they saw a man near the building at the time of the break-in. They described him as a heavyset black male in his 40s, roughly 5-feet-8-inches tall and balding with some gray hair.
Morrin said police do not know whether or not this man is responsible for the burglary.
Another break-in was reported Jan. 30 at New Style Pizza, located at 4060 Chestnut St.
It was reported that between 9 p.m. Jan. 28 and 10 a.m. Jan. 30., burglars broke a side window of the restaurant and stole $60 from the cash register.
Police looked for physical evidence at all three scenes but have no leads at the time.
Morrin urged area residents to remain vigilant about burglary and to ensure that apartment doors, outer doors and windows are locked.
"Talk to your neighbors if you see anything suspicious," he said. "But most of all, just give [the police] a call."
