Mall Security Officer Stops Sophisticated Shoplifter

By Linda Finarelli
The Public Spirit/Globe Times Chronicle

(WillowGroveParkMall.com)

Some keen observation by a Willow Grove Park mall security officer ended with the arrest Friday of a New York man who allegedly shoplifted $4,000 worth of items from at least five stores at the mall.

Carlos Hernandez, 32, of the 8300 block of 31st Avenue, New York, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. Feb. 4 and charged with criminal conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime and a credit card violation, according to Abington Deputy Chief John Livingood.

A security officer observed Hernandez walking in the mall with a Disney bag and started following him, as the Disney store no longer exists at the mall, Livingood said. Hernandez was observed going to a maroon minivan parked in the mall lot and police officers called to check found him hiding in the back of the minivan with what police call a “booster bag” — a bag lined with foil to defeat security measures — in plain view, he said.

Inside the bag, police found more than $4,000 worth of stolen property from the Limited, Victoria’s Secret, Caché, American Eagle and Gap, Livingood said. Hernandez claimed he had a female accomplice, but provided no information on her and no one else was taken into custody, he said.

Republished with the permission of The Public Spirit/Globe Times Chronicle

Area Still Digging Out; More Snow Predicted

By Tom Sofield
Online Editor – (tsofield@buxmontnews.com)

Terwood Road in Upper Moreland remained snow covered late yesterday afternoon. (Tom Sofield)

More than 24-hours after the storm had ceased, the sound of snow blowers and plows moving the snow could be heard as the region digs out from a snowfall that dropped between 14 and 16 inches, the 11th largest in Philadelphia weather history.

At Longstreth Elementary School in Warminster, which was closed yesterday because of the snow and is closed Friday because of a already scheduled day-off, a plow was working to clear the driveway of the school around 4 p.m., children had a snowball fight just feet away from the plow.

Clean-up operations on local roads are continuing in townships. Crews from Upper Moreland were spotted clearing residential streets early this morning.

“It’s crazy, it really is. How can Davisville Road still be snow covered,” said Upper Moreland resident Joan Boyce.

“Hatboro road crews did great work! Thank you! The streets were clean when I went into work at 11 a.m.,” said Hatboro resident Frank via. e-mail.

Crews at the Willow Grove Mall still were clearing the parking lot at 8 p.m. last night and still had much to clear.

Due to the heavy snow Wednesday and early Thursday some local fire companies sent send fire engines to assist ambulances in case they got stuck.

On top of the clean-up forecasters are calling for more winter weather, today, Saturday and early next week.

This evening a clipper system is expected to move through the area.

“The snowfall amounts will generally be under an inch for most areas,” said Doug Melegari in a blog post PhillyWeather.net.

Saturday’s clipper could bring between a coating to an inch of snow to the region which is still battling yesterdays storm.

Forecasters seem to put more urgency on a storm which could bear down on the Philadelphia area early next week.

So far this winter Philadelphia has received more than 30 inches of snow.

Willow Grove Mall, National Retailers; Shopping Up

FORT WORTH, TX: Black Friday shoppers waited in line outside the store overnight in an effort to secure the best deals on appliances, power tools, clothing and electronics when the store opened at 4 a.m. Friday morning. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

The 2010 holiday shopping season is in full swing and retailers are reporting sales to be up compared to recent years.

Yesterday many companies announced their November sales figures and popular retailers like Target, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and Kohl’s were up compared to last November.

In a press release the National Retail Federation estimated that total Black Friday, Saturday and Sunday spending reached $45 billion. On average American shoppers spend $365 compared to $345 during last years Black Friday shopping weekend.

Consumers spent $45 billion in stores over the Black Friday weekend but the following Monday which is called “Cyber Monday” due to it being a day retailers offer extra incentives for consumers to purchase products online reached sales of over $1 billion, a new record.

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

On Black Friday morning more than 100 people lined-up outside the K-Mart in Willow Grove waiting for the stores 5 a.m. opening.

Ashlyn Delson the marketing director for the Willow Grove Park Mall, which

opened at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, said, “Black Friday this year was really crowded at the mall.”

Delson who arrived to the mall, which has 130 stores, shortly before 4 a.m. said that the mall measures shopping success by how many bags shoppers are carrying.

Nation-wide as well as at the Willow Grove Park Mall the Saturday before Christmas is the busiest shopping day.

“If Black Friday is any indication we’re in good shape for the rest of the season,” Delson said.

Initial figures for the beginning of the holiday shopping season are intuitive experts say, but a final numbers from retailers in January will really show how successful this shopping season was.

Tom Sofield (tsofield@buxmontnews.com)
Online Editor