Law enforcement officials in Philadelphia and Montgomery County believe a serial burglar is behind a string of robberies in both areas, including a robbery in a North Philadelphia that occurred in front of the owner's kids.

Police say 18-year-old Marcus Neto, who was first reported by NBC10 on Thursday to be a suspect in a string of burglaries targeting businesses in Northeast Philadelphia, is now also believed to be behind a string of robberies in Montgomery County and the robbery of Shauna's Restaurant and Banquet Hall in North Philadelphia.

Officials in Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County say they've been looking for Neto for six weeks, issuing an arrest warrant for two burglaries there, but did not realize he may also be behind robberies in Philadelphia until seeing NBC10's report Thursday night identifying him as a suspect.

"Back on March 20, in the early morning hours, we had two burglaries. One at the Goat House Creamery and one at an auto body shop," a Cheltenham official said.

In Northeast Philadelphia, Neto is a suspect in a string of burglaries that date back to February, but have been carried out as recently as May 25.

Additionally, Cheltenham officials, when they saw the surveillance video from the restaurant robbery in Philadelphia earlier this week, they noticed it shows a man wearing what looks like the same clothing as the suspect in the two robberies there.

John Reed, the owner of Melrose Service Center, the auto shop robbed in Cheltenham, said Neto, if behind all the robberies, is escalating his crimes.

"Now, he's escalating it, where he's a big criminal now," Reed said.

Police say Neto has one previous arrest in Philadelphia and is Deaf. He can only speak Portuguese sign language.

Officials also point out that the robberies in Montgomery County were unarmed, but the recent robberies in Philadelphia have featured a firearm.

A second, unidentified suspect, is also wanted in the string of burglaries in Northeast Philadelphia.

If you have any information on Neto, the second unidentified suspect or any of the burglaries, call the Northeast Detective Division at 215-686-3153/3154. If you see Neto or the second suspect, do not approach them but instead call 911 immediately. You can also submit a tip by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477) or visiting the Philadelphia police website. All tips will be confidential.

Source cite:

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/suspect-restaurant-robbery-philly-serial-burglar/4197854/