The arrest of two men in a late March burglary try was one of the neighborhood issues discussed at the April 8 meeting of Normandy Civic Association members at the Norcom Community Center.
John Wisniewski said a neighbor saw two men trying to enter a house on the 2800 block of Nautilus on March 24 and called 9–1–1. He said the men left the property but then came back. They were later arrested.
Asked about the incident on April 10, police said Brian McKeown Sr., 45, and Brian McKeown Jr., 24, both from the 4200 block of Lackland Place, were arrested and charged with attempted burglary and related offenses.
According to police, a witness was in his home when he saw two men walk past his property. The witness continued to watch the men from an upstairs window, police said, and saw them go to a side door of a neighbor’s home. He called police when he saw them trying to open a lock. The neighbor saw the men leave the property and walk to a dark SUV. They opened and closed the doors, the witness told police, and the older of the two men, then wearing yellow gloves and carrying a hammer, and the other walked again to a back door. The witness said he heard a loud banging from the neighbor’s back door. They then walked back to their vehicle, police said.
Officers later stopped the two, and the witness identified them as the men he had seen at his neighbor’s home.
According to police, the McKeowns were also arrested in connection with another residential burglary and an attempt to steal a TV from the Walmart in Franklin Mills. In the latter incident, police said, the elder McKeown struck an employee who stopped them. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for the men on May 30.
Wisniewski said the level of the street surface on Norcom Road south of Nightingale is noticeably sinking and could cause damage to vehicles passing over it. Margaret Recupido, an aide to City Councilman Brian O’Neill (R-10th dist.), said she had asked the Water Department to look into it. Wisniewski said there had been a water main break under the street some time ago. If PWD decides it is not its problem, Recupido said, then the report will go to the Streets Department.
Time is almost up for anyone who wants to attend the upcoming Normandy reunion. April 18 is the deadline. The reunion will take place on May 2 at the FOP lodge on Caroline Road. The get-together will feature a dinner, bottled beer, bottled wine, a deejay, 50–50 raffle and a silent auction. Tickets are $40. For tickets, call 215–828–3678. ••
