Police: Target Burglar Caught on Video Isn't a Woman After All

The person who broke into the Cross Keys Road Target early Sunday was not a woman, but rather a special-needs child, police announced today.

Charges have not been filed in the case, according to Gloucester Township Police Deputy Chief David Harkins.

The 11-year-old boy who broke into the business at 487 Berlin Cross Keys Rd. at around 3:40 a.m. Sunday has Asperger's syndrome, police said.

Police on Monday night released surveillance video from Target showing someone breaking out a glass door and entering the store for a few minutes.

Nothing was reported stolen.

Images from the store's surveillance cameras  showed a person who appeared to be a woman breaking into the store.

The boy's mother contacted police after recognizing her son in the surveillance video, which had been posted on the police department's YouTube channel and released to area media. The boy reportedly went to Target after leaving his home without his parents' knowledge.

The 11-year-old boy, whom police are not identifying, and his family live near and frequent the Target store, Harkins said.

The boy's parents, embarrassed by the incident, have cooperated with investigators, police said.

Target officials "insisted" they do not wish to file complaints against the boy, according to Harkins.

Police noted this case is the first in which the department's new YouTube channel led to the identification of a person in a criminal investigation. More than 1,600 people viewed the video in less than two days. The video has since been removed from the department's YouTube channel. 

Asperger's syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that affects a person's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others," according to information on the Mayo Clinic's website. "Children with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics."