Thirty-six-year-old Bernard Miller was arrested in connection with a pair of burglaries and a violent home invasion in Collingswood this weekend. He faces multiple charges.
By Matt Skoufalos | February 27, 2020
Stone staircase at the end of Crestmont Terrace in Collingswood taped off after a home invasion. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
A 36-year-old homeless man has been charged in connection with a string of crimes in Collingswood last weekend, including a home invasion, arson, and multiple burglaries.
Investigators arrested Bernard Miller at a Camden City shelter Thursday, after surveillance footage at the facility depicted him in clothes matching those of a burglary suspect wanted in a pair of break-ins February 22.
Surveillance photos from those incidents allegedly showed a man wearing a distinctive, multicolored jacket as he burglarized homes on Virginia and Champion Avenues in Collingswood.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Miller’s backpack also contained items from the Champion Avenue burglary.
He was subsequently identified as the man behind the February 23 home invasion on Crestmont Terrace, in which a young couple was assaulted and robbed, and their house set ablaze.
Do you recognize this man? We've collected more surveillance footage of the person who broke into two Collingswood homes Feb. 22. He's seen putting on a black hat, gloves and mask before one of the burglaries. Send tips to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. https://t.co/HNixKq5x7X pic.twitter.com/g8IZBFpjE1
— Camden Co Prosecutor (@CamdenCoPros) February 26, 2020
Miller has been charged with: one count of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree aggravated arson, one count of second-degree burglary, one count of second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of criminal restraint, one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of third-degree burglary.
He is being held at the Camden County Jail pending a detention hearing.
In a crowdfunding campaign organized for the victims of the Crestmont Terrace home invasion, a family member said the couple is recovering from the incident, but could not be reached for comment.
Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. An arrest is not a conviction.
