Lindenwold break-in, assaults shake residents

A home invasion and sexual assaults on Sunday so rattled residents of a Lindenwold complex that they're searching for the attacker.

"The entire neighborhood is trying to look for him," said Robert Aiken, a former boyfriend of one of the assault victims. "We're hoping he brags about it . . . so we can catch him."

On Monday, the lips of one break-in victim quivered as she recounted the crime. The mother and daughter who were sexually assaulted in the second break-in talked about moving out of the Arborwood Condominiums, a once-pristine complex now plagued with drug use and other crime.

Another frightened resident, who delivers newspapers, asked her boyfriend to accompany her regularly.

Lindenwold police are still investigating the crimes, which occurred between 6 and 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the development on East Gibbsboro Road.

The attacker burglarized one unit by climbing through a window and then, possibly chased away by a barking dog, went on to another unit, where he assaulted the mother, who authorities said is in her 40s, and her 17-year-old daughter.

Here is what a victim of the first break-in said happened:

A heavy sleeper, she was asleep on the couch in the living room with the television blaring. Her roommate slept in a bedroom with Ginger, a 13-year-old shepherd mix.

The 28-year-old, who didn't want her name used, said she had left her window open for ventilation because she was washing clothes and the dryer raises the temperature in the apartment.

A screen was removed. A bar stool with a footprint on it was found outside the window.

Inside, shoe marks were found on a love seat near the window, next to the couch, where she lay.

She said a cell phone, a pack of cigarettes, and a bottle of Burnett's Lime Vodka were taken. Cash and other items were also found missing from her roommate's purse.

At some point, Ginger - who is hard of hearing - barked from inside the roommate's bedroom.

"She kept barking and barking," the woman said. "She sensed something."

"It's sickening," the woman said. "I threw up a few times. He was only a foot away from me."

The thief escaped through the front door, dropping the purse on the carpet.

"I feel thankful and grateful, but at the same time, I feel so bad," the woman said. "I just pray for that girl, her mom."

After the home invasion, a man entered a nearby first-floor unit across the courtyard, where the mother and daughter slept.

There, he ordered the women from their bedrooms into the living room. He then took an object from the kitchen and sexually assaulted the two with it, police said.

"They're both definitely in a state of shock," said Aiken, 35, who has been a father figure to the teen.

He said the mother was slashed with a knife as she tried to fight off the attacker.

Police declined to comment on details residents offered of the crimes.

Aiken said residents believe the attacker may have been watching the units.

"He knew our routine. He knew exactly what time to hit," said Aiken, who works as a general contractor in the day and as a janitor on the overnight shift.

In the assault victims' unit, the attacker asked for money, but the mother had only a few dollars, Aiken said.

"It's beyond disgusting," he said. "It doesn't seem like it was about money. It didn't seem like it was about drugs."

In 2009, five people were shot in the complex, and residents say squatters have occupied vacant units in the back.

In 2005, a man shot into an Arborwood unit because he was upset a resident wouldn't sell drugs for him. He killed the woman's nephew, a 14-year-old sleeping on the couch.

Residents said the complex's troubles escalated in 2004 when the town council designated the area a redevelopment zone. Condominium owners, fearing the complex would be razed, began selling off units cheaply.

At one point, tennis courts were overrun with vegetation, an adjacent crumbling swimming pool was filled with trash, and utility rooms were locked to discourage their use for prostitution and drug deals.

The complex filed a court challenge to the redevelopment designation and was removed from the zone in 2008.

Sunday night, some residents gathered in the courtyard and talked about forming a neighborhood watch.

But at least one resident said Monday that she wasn't nervous.

"I've got the Lord in my life," said Diann Kenney, 63.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Lindenwold Police Detective Jim Barney 856-784-4800, Ext. 409, or e-mail jbarney@lindenwoldpd.com.