BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo police announced an arrest has been made after a string of burglaries in the city's B and D districts.
Over the weekend, police asked residents to remain alert following the string of burglaries that they believed were connected.
"Our top priority is protecting our neighborhoods," Buffalo Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright said. "We have committed detectives, increased patrols, and are placing extra officers in the area to ensure community safety."
WATCH: Maki Becker reports on what we know about the recent arrest
On Monday, police announced that 52-year-old Dale Gabler of Buffalo was arrested and charged in connection with nine burglaries.
Ebony Kusmierski said he was caught right after he broke into her family's house on Amherst Street.
She said she was having a hard time falling asleep and kept getting alerts from her Ring and Nest cameras early Monday morning at about 1 a.m.
At first, she ignored the notifications, figuring that the many Halloween decorations on her porch were setting them off.
But then she looked and saw a man going into her backyard.
“I went to the back door," she told 7 News. "When I looked at the back door, it was unlatched. It was open."
She knew that was odd.
"We always check the doors to make sure everything's locked before we go to sleep. How is this open?" she said.
She went outside and saw a man in her car. He had apparently gone inside her home, taken her keys and was loading up her car with electronics from her house, including TVs and video game consoles.
Kusmierski and her husband ran outside after the man. At the same time, police arrived, having noticed a man running down Amherst Street.
Police said Gabler was allegedly in possession of two wallets and 14 credit/debit cards not in his name, and matched the description of the burglar in several other recent incidents. Gabler was charged with a dozen felony counts, including burglary, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and multiple misdemeanors.
WATCH: Buffalo police announce arrest in connection with a string of burglaries
The burglaries occurred on the following days and locations:
- September 5 – the 300 block of Middlesex Road
- September 5 – the first block of Plymouth Avenue
- September 10 – 800 block of Niagara Street
- September 11 – the first block of Richmond Avenue
- September 14 – Hallam Road
- September 14 – 200 block of Lincoln Parkway
- September 14 – a second house on the 200 block of Lincoln Parkway
- September 14 – 100 block of Fordham Drive
- September 15 – 800 block of Amherst Street
Police said at the time of arrest, Gabler was on parole after serving 13 years for a series of burglaries in 2012 in the Elmwood Village and Linwood Avenue areas. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning.
