Cops: Burglary spree targeted Philly landmarks

THE LIST OF his alleged targets reads more like a tourist's day trip to Center City than a thief's hit list, and his plan was more calculated than crazy.

But Christopher Keiter, 26 - who allegedly posed as a fire inspector so that he could burglarize the Academy of Music, the Independence Visitor Center and the Art Institute of Philadelphia - was foiled by none other than himself, when he checked into security desks at two of his targets under his own name, according to police.

Keiter's highbrow burglary spree began Jan. 3 when, about 11 p.m., he went to the Academy of Music, at Broad and Locust streets, wearing a Philadelphia Fire Department shirt and carrying a handheld radio, police said.

He told the security guard that his name was Christopher Keiter and that he was there to inspect the building's fire extinguishers, according to police.

The security officer walked with Keiter through the building, but lost him at some point.

While alone, Keiter was able to access the theater, where he allegedly took a Toshiba computer, a pair of Sony headphones and a radio that had "Les Mis" written on it.

The following day, about 7:20 p.m., Keiter went to the Independence Visitor Center, at 6th and Market streets, again posing as a fire inspector, police said.

He told a janitor that he was there to inspect fire extinguishers. In his 28 minutes inside the building, Keiter allegedly took a Motorola handheld radio worth $2,500 from the concierge desk and a wireless microphone worth $639 from a second-floor meeting room.

Keiter laid low for a few days, but about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, he re-emerged at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, on Chestnut Street near 16th, again posing as a fire inspector, police said.

This time, he upped his ruse by pulling at least 20 tags from fire extinguishers throughout the building and telling the building manager that they needed to be replaced or he'd be fined, police said.

While in the sixth-floor lobby, near the equipment cage, Keiter told everyone that he was going to spray something in the air and everyone had to leave, according to police.

The employees complied, and when they returned, they found that two laptop computers were missing from the equipment cage, police said. Keiter was missing, too.

But it wasn't too hard to find him, police said: He'd signed his real name in the visitor's log book.

Thursday night, police executed a search warrant on Keiter's room at the Parker-Spruce Hotel, at 13th and Spruce streets, and recovered the reported stolen items.

He was charged with impersonating a public servant, theft and trespassing.

It's not the first time that Keiter has faced such charges.

He has at least a dozen arrests dating back to 2007 in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties, as well as in New Jersey. He's been charged with impersonating a pubic servant three times before, and last January he was charged with stealing a $3,000 fire radio from the Norriton Fire Company in Montgomery County, according to online records.