NORRISTOWN — One of two men accused of a gunpoint home invasion robbery during which they used packing tape to restrain two members of an Abington Township family has admitted to his role in the crime.
Jalen Douglas-Smith, 19, of the 5000 block of North 16th Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, burglary and carrying a firearm without a license in connection with the Dec. 2, 2024, incident.
Judge William R. Carpenter deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Douglas-Smith, who will undergo drug and alcohol evaluations.
Douglas-Smith, who remains in the county jail without bail while awaiting sentencing, faces a possible maximum sentence of 43 to 86 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
Other charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, receiving stolen property and terroristic threats are slated to be dismissed against Douglas-Smith at time of sentencing.
Jonathan Dell, 24, of Philadelphia, the second man charged in connection with the home invasion, is awaiting trial on robbery and related charges, according to court records.
The investigation began about 3:15 p.m. Dec. 2 when Abington police responded to a report of a robbery at a home in the 200 block of Cedar Road in the Elkins Park section of the township.
A woman told police that when she arrived home in her 2021 Subaru Ascent she was approached by two males on her driveway.
“Both males displayed handguns and were wearing surgical masks and forced (the victim) into her home. Both males followed her inside and demanded cash and other valuables from (the victim),” Abington Detective Robert Hill Jr. wrote in the arrest affidavit.
The woman’s son, who was in an upstairs bedroom, heard his mother crying and went downstairs to check on her when he “was threatened by the males with bodily harm” as they demanded cash and valuables, detectives said.
“The male suspects remained inside of their home for approximately one hour as they walked into various areas of the home with both victims. The males ransacked each room and took cash and other valuables. During the time the males were inside of the home they continued to point handguns at both victims and threatened both victims with harm if they did not cooperate or called the police,” Hill alleged.
The males took the victims’ cellphones and then used packing tape to restrain the victims before they left the house. The males took the keys to the woman’s Subaru vehicle and fled the area in that vehicle, detectives said.
“The victims were able to free themselves from the tape and ran to a nearby home to call the police,” said Hill, adding the victims reported jewelry, electronics, cash and sports memorabilia, valued at more than $2,000, were stolen from the home.
Detectives used a GPS tracker on the stolen vehicle as it traveled into Philadelphia and it was eventually found unoccupied in a parking lot in the 4300 block of North Broad Street. Security video from a nearby store depicted two males park the vehicle and walk away carrying a large bag of items, according to the criminal complaint.
The victims reported that numerous unauthorized transactions were made with their stolen debit cards and Venmo app at locations in Philadelphia, including at a grocery mart.
Detectives retrieved video surveillance footage from the grocery mart that assisted them in identifying Douglas-Smith and Dell as suspects, court papers indicate.
Dell, according to court documents, also posted a video to his Instagram social media account on Dec. 3 that showed him wearing a watch that was stolen from the Abington home.
During the investigation, detectives also determined that a fingerprint recovered from the passenger door of the victim’s stolen Subaru belonged to Douglas-Smith, according to the arrest affidavit.
Originally Published: August 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM EDT