Newark investigation

Suspicious utility workers identified as legitimate Delmarva employees

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3:37 p.m., Nov. 24, 2015--On Oct. 13 and Nov. 12, the Newark Police Department issued crime alerts warning residents of a possible suspicious person posing as a utility worker attempting to gain access to residences in the city of Newark.

Since then, Newark Police detectives have worked with representatives from Delmarva Power to identify and confirm that in both cases it was a Delmarva Power employee conducting legitimate business.

After the Nov. 12 crime alert, multiple residents notified Newark Police that a similar person had been to their houses.  On several of these incidents, officers were able to immediately respond and found Delmarva Power employees going to houses to read gas meters. Some of these gas meters are located inside the house, which prompted the employees to knock on doors. Delmarva explained to Newark Police detectives that a technical problem led to employees having to manually read the meters, which is unusual in the city of Newark.

The Newark Police and Delmarva Power remind all residents that if someone claims to represent a company, whether Delmarva Power or the city of Newark, it is important that the customer take precautions to verify that the person is affiliated with that company.

Both Delmarva Power and city of Newark employees carry official company identification cards. These should be asked for every time someone asks to enter a home, and, if not produced, customers should call 911. The city of Newark can be contacted at 302-366-1000. Delmarva Power can be contacted at 1-800-375-7117.

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