Saquon Barkley and his family are safe after an attempted burglary at the Philadelphia Eagles star's Pennsylvania home, as investigators work to determine whether the incident is connected to the recent string of break-ins targeting high-profile professional athletes.
The Tredyffrin Township Police Department told ABC 6 News that officers responded to Barkley's home in the Malvern section of Tredyffrin Township shortly after 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, following a report of a burglary in progress. By the time police arrived, the suspects had already fled. Authorities believe at least one person entered the home while Barkley and his family were inside.
Capt. Tyler Moyer said the outcome could have been much worse. "They were home, and fortunately, as you know, with any situation like this, our main concern is that the residents of that home at the time were unharmed, which they were," Moyer said. "They were fine afterwards, obviously unsettled as anyone would be."
Police are searching for at least two suspects and have released an image of a white SUV believed to be connected to the burglary. The Tredyffrin Township Police Department's Detective Division is leading the investigation with assistance from the Chester County District Attorney's Office, which is also asking residents to review home security footage from around the time of the burglary attempt for anything suspicious.
"We are incredibly grateful that the Barkley family was not injured during this incident," the District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "We are asking the public to help us identify those responsible by checking any home security cameras for suspicious activity in the area around 5:00 a.m."
Investigators are also examining whether the attempted burglary fits the pattern of organized theft rings that have targeted professional athletes in recent years. Those groups have been linked to burglaries involving Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Joe Burrow.
Moyer said that local authorities plan to coordinate with federal investigators, noting, "We will look at all angles of this because we know, obviously, it's been all over the news in the past few years about different professional athletes' homes getting burglarized."
The frightening incident comes just days after Barkley made headlines for a very different reason. During his youth football camp in New Jersey, the Eagles running back publicly encouraged LeBron James to consider finishing his NBA career in Philadelphia, calling it "one of the greatest sports towns in the world" and telling the four-time NBA champion that bringing a title to the city would mean "you'd be remembered forever."
