Residents asked to report thefts after haul of suspected stolen goods uncovered in Squirrel Hill

A Squirrel Hill man charged in connection with a string of burglaries in Fox Chapel and O’Hara also is accused of posing as a contractor and defrauding residents around Squirrel Hill, police said Wednesday.

Andrew Clinton, 20, was arrested in early April after a series of burglaries over the course of a year. He’s remained in jail since his arrest, unable to post $20,000 bond.

A warrant served on Clinton’s parents’ Squirrel Hill home last week by Pittsburgh and Allegheny County police turned up “vast quantities” of suspected stolen goods. Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said those items include Judaica, books, portraits and religious relics, many of which have not been reported as stolen.

In addition, Cruz said, police are investigating Clinton for allegedly posing as a contractor, landscaper and HVAC technician, defrauding multiple victims around his neighborhood along the way.

Pittsburgh police provided photos of some of the apparent stolen items, including dozens of paintings and portraits, china, and other artwork.

Anyone who thinks they might have been victimized by Clinton is asked to contact investigators at Zone 4 and ask for Det. Frank Rosato at 412-422-6520.

Police started investigating Clinton on March 28 when they responded to a car stuck in the mud along Field Club Road in Fox Chapel around 6:20 a.m. Clinton, who had been driving the car, told police he got stuck in the mud after pulling over to put an address into his GPS, according to a criminal complaint filed in connection with the Fox Chapel and O’Hara burglaries.

The complaint said the responding officer noticed that Clinton’s driver’s license was damaged, which Clinton explained by saying that he often used the license to get into his house when he locked himself out.

An hour earlier, police said, a Ring camera at a home on Field Club Road had recorded someone wearing Adidas tennis shoes with three white stripes and a North Face jacket with distinct marks on the sleeves walking past the front porch.

The homeowners discovered hours later that their house had been burglarized, the complaint said.

Investigators said the man captured on the Ring footage was linked to three other burglaries in O’Hara in February 2021. Surveillance footage from one of those burglaries showed a similar-looking man wearing the same North Face jacket, the complaint said.

Police also linked the suspect to a break-in in Fox Chapel last August, according to the complaint. In that burglary, the suspect took a brass lamp, two portable stereos, a men’s watch and cuff links, police said.

The complaint said Clinton had been arrested in connection with burglaries in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3, 2020, and Feb. 13, 2021.

Police said they staked out Clinton’s Squirrel Hill home and saw him wearing Adidas tennis shoes with white stripes, matching those in the surveillance footage, according to the complaint.