DNA evidence from a latex glove recovered at a crime scene resulted in charges against a convicted serial burglar in a residential break-in on Rose Valley Road 17 months ago.
Carmen N. Carrozza, also known as Pasquale N. Carozza, 55, of Philadelphia, was charged with one count each of felony burglary and trespass, and misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. When arrested on charges filed by the Nether Providence Township Police Department on Feb. 18, 2025, Carrozza was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) in Somerset in an unrelated case, and he remains incarcerated there currently.
On Sept. 1, 2023, police were dispatched to the home on Rose Valley Road in the Media section of Nether Providence Township. According to the probable-cause affidavit by Detective James Irey, a family member arrived at the house to find drawers in the living room and bedrooms open and empty, and some jewelry strewn across one of the beds and nearby floor. The family member reported a rare coin collection and some women’s clothing missing.
Detective Irey, who processed the scene, determined the intruder appeared to have entered the house through an unsecured basement window, but then forced open a locked basement door leading to the living room. On the floor in the main bedroom, he found a white latex glove, which was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Laboratory for forensic analysis.
In July of 2024, PSP notified Detective Irey that a DNA profile was recovered from the glove through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and was preliminarily matched to Pasquale Carozza. Additionally, Carrozza’s DNA was potentially the same contributor to samples previously submitted by two law enforcement agencies investigating burglaries in 2023.
Irey’s investigation determined that Pasquale Carozza is an alias for Carmen N. Carrozza. The name Carmen N. Carrozza was confirmed through a Pennsylvania driver’s license, along with Carrozza's criminal history documented in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
On Aug. 7, 2024, Irey and a PSP trooper sought and were granted a search warrant in Cumberland County for a DNA buccal swab of Carmen N. Carrozza. At that time, Carrozza was incarcerated at SCI Camp Hill. That buccal swab was sent to the PSP crime lab for DNA analysis.
In October of 2024, the DNA buccal swab submission was returned from the PSP lab. Analysis confirmed Carmen N. Carrozza was a contributor to the DNA profile collected from the latex glove at the burglary scene on Rose Valley Road.
Acknowledging that DNA cases take time, Detective Irey said he is pleased with the outcome, which resulted in charges against an individual with a long history of burglaries.
Carrozza’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 21 in Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth Gallard’s court.
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