Upper Darby police arrest two in raid of suburban ‘crack house’

Edward Malm. Credit: provided

As neighbors reportedly cheered, police arrested two occupants of a so-called ‘crack house’ in the middle of a residential block in a suburban neighborhood this weekend.

Edward Malm, 44, the resident of the Clifton Heights home on the 200 block of Westpark Lane, and Anthony Caserta, 33, were handcuffed and arrested on drug violations on Friday, after police received repeated reports of drug needles and drug baggies being left around the house, the Delaware County Times reported.

The raid occurred around 4:30 p.m.

More than 100 neighbors reportedly watched officers make arrests, with some reportedly coming up to officers to thank them for their service.

Upper Darby Superintendent Michael Chitwood told the Daily Times that suspected containers of marijuana and crack were found in the house, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Malm was reportedly in the living room and Caserta was in the basement bedroom, which was reportedly being illegally rented out as an apartment.

Chitwood also reportedly said that neighbors were concerned about drug trafficking out of the house, and the safety of two children believed to also be living in the house.

Malm and Caserta are being held on $40,000 bail.

It’s not the first time this property has seen police activity.

As far back as April 2011, Malm’s crack habit was getting him in trouble.

Edward Malm in 2011. Credit: UDPD

Police discovered that Malm reportedly was beating his 87-year-old grandmother and at times disabling her electric stair-lift to trap her in her basement bedroom so he could smoke crack without being bothered, the Daily News reported.

Neighbors called the police with suspicions of abuse going on inside the house. Officers allegedly found Malm passed out in his bedroom with a crack pipe and a bag of crack beside him.

Malm was arrested, but apparently returned to the home at some point to begin again his crack-smoking ways.

Malm was also a Wing Bowl participant back in 2001, according to City Paper archives. He is dentified as “Evil Ed.”