May 14, 2003 By Christine Haines 3 min read

NEWELL – Police are investigating a home invasion that occurred in Newell around 5:45 Tuesday morning. The Belle Vernon Borough police patrol Newell. According to Belle Vernon Police Chief John Hartman, Sandra Fordian, 52, of 408 Fourth St., Newell, was awakened by a flashlight shining in her face by a person standing outside her bedroom door.

Hartman said that when the suspect realized Fordian was aware that there was someone in her home, the suspect fled from the house. Fordian’s black leather purse containing her identification and other items was taken in the break-in.

“Forensic evidence was secured from the scene,” Hartman said. “There may have been more than one actor. The evidence would appear to support that.”

Hartman said Fordian and her daughter were both home at the time of the incident.

“A routine burglary can be a home invasion. What makes this particularly sensitive, you have the victim in her home and you have the actor making contact with the victim, though in this case it was just shining a light in her face,” Hartman said. “We aren’t taking this lightly.”

Hartman said any time his department responds to a crime scene, the victims are briefed on a safety plan to help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. Hartman said the department also suggests safety measures for residents to better protect themselves.

“We want to make victims feel they are in control of their own safety again,” Hartman said.

Hartman said there are no suspects in the Newell home invasion at this time, but his department is actively pursuing a number of leads.

Hartman said that while there have been other home invasions in Belle Vernon and Newell in the past, they do not at this time appear to be related to Tuesday’s incident.

This is the second similar incident in the area in three days. State police in Uniontown said a shot was fired, but no injuries were reported in a Sunday night robbery in Bierer Wood Acres in South Union Township.

Police said two black men armed with handguns entered the 55 Snyder Terrace residence of Sylvia Regine Grooms, 21, and demanded money from Menzie Spenola Ammamoo, 26, of Staten Island, N.Y., at 10 p.m., police said.

One of the suspects fired a round from a semi-automatic handgun and the suspects took an undermined amount of money, police said.

One of the suspects was described as 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, 150-165 pounds and wearing dark clothes and a ski mask. The second was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, 250-300 pounds and wearing dark clothes with a dark shirt wrapped around his face and head.