4 Maryland men charged in burglaries of fire-damaged homes in Virginia
Four Maryland men charged in burglary spree targeting fire-damaged homes
Fairfax County police have charged four Maryland men accused of systematically targeting and burglarizing condemned houses damaged by fires across Virginia and neighboring states. Investigators say the suspects monitored fire department blogs and news reports to find displaced families before breaking in to steal gun safes, jewelry, cash, and electronics, including hitting a Reston home twice following a fatal fire. Regional law enforcement agencies and the FBI have linked the group to similar crimes spanning from Connecticut to North Carolina.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Four Maryland men face charges in connection with a series of Fairfax County burglaries targeting homes that were unoccupied due to fire damage, authorities announced.
What we know:
Between November 2025 and July 2026, five burglaries were reported across four residences that had previously sustained fire damage, according to police. The first incident occurred in November 2025 on Shellbark Place in Reston, where a family reported a gun safe stolen from inside the residence and a Porsche Macan taken from the driveway. The home had suffered fire damage earlier that month.
Police said the burglars targeted the home on Shellbark Place twice. After the first burglary, in which the suspects tried to steal a gun safe, police put up security cameras and caught the burglars returning a second time and stealing the gun safe loaded with firearms.
Three additional burglaries were reported in May and July 2026 on San Carlos Drive and Bulova Lane in Fair Oaks, as well as Blue Steel Way in West Springfield. Investigators said the suspects stole various items during those incidents, including cash, a guitar, headphones, jewelry, perfume, and purses.
Detectives linked the five burglaries across Fairfax County by reviewing video footage, digital evidence, and tracing stolen property. Investigators also recovered stolen items, including firearms taken during the Shellbark Place burglary.
Fairfax County Police Captain Richard Cash said the arrests came after working with regional partners and investigating evidence and videos.
"We were able to link all five of our burglaries and these four suspects," Capt. Cash said. "All of those regional partners experienced similar burglaries involving these four individuals. They did their research. They were looking for media releases about fires. They were searching fire departments blogs. They were searching any avenue they could to determine which house had burned and which families were displaced at the time."
Dig deeper:
Police identified and charged four Maryland men in connection with the incidents.
Damon Murray, 22, was charged with two counts of burglary, grand larceny, and conspiracy to commit grand larceny, and is currently held awaiting extradition from North Carolina.
Damon Murray (Fairfax County Police Department)
Christian Webb, 24, faces five counts of burglary, two counts of destruction of property, grand larceny, and auto theft, and is awaiting extradition from Pennsylvania.
Christian Webb (Fairfax County Police Department)
Timothy Lowe, 23, was charged with four counts of burglary, two counts of destruction of property, grand larceny, and auto theft, and is currently free on bond.
Timothy Lowe (Fairfax County Police Department)
Emanuel Thomas, 35, faces four counts of burglary, two counts of destruction of property, grand larceny, and auto theft, and remains held in Maryland.
Emanuel Thomas (Fairfax County Police Department)
Neighbors react
What they're saying:
None of the homes that were targeted in the burglaries are currently occupied. Neighbors were outraged to hear what had happened since the fires.
Former Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova lives down the street from one of the burglarized homes.
"The people are lovely who lived here, they are good neighbors," Bulova said. "It's a shame that they had to move out. The house was vacant and for someone to take advantage of that tragedy is just unforgivable."
Authorities ask anyone with information regarding the incidents to contact the Reston Police Station at 703-478-0904. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Solvers of Fairfax County by calling 866-411-8477.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Fairfax County Police Department.