A California city is on edge as burglars begin posing as gardeners with the latest outrageous tactic to target homes.
The suspects were captured on security footage of a burglary at a house in Ranco Cucamonga on Thursday around 4:20 p.m.
An unidentified neighbor said the two masked men were dressed as gardeners or workers in an attempt to gain unsuspecting access to a victim’s home.
One of the suspects, who was wearing an orange shirt and tan bucket hat, opened the garage door from the inside. While the other, wearing shorts and a similar hat, backed a black SUV into the driveway and opened the trunk.
“It’s a black Mazda,” an unidentified neighbor added. “I can’t say I’ve seen it before.”
The neighbor told me KTL: ‘I think they were watching the house because of how quickly it happened, how well known they were, how they could get in and out very quickly.’
The pair were then seen lifting a large, heavy safe into the back of the car.
“One of the main reasons I want to draw attention to this is because I fear they will strike again or commit similar crimes,” they said.
The suspects were captured on security footage breaking into a house in Ranco Cucamonga around 4.20pm on Thursday and appeared to be dressed as gardeners in their latest tactic to attack houses.
Edgar Sumpter, a resident of the area for 16 years, told the outlet that there had been numerous burglaries in recent years. “I’ll keep a closer eye because now that they’ve tried one house, they’ll probably try another house,” he said.
A neighbor said: ‘I believe they were watching the house because of how quickly it happened, how well known they were, how they could get in and out very quickly.’
Edgar Sumpter, a resident of the area for 16 years, told the outlet that there had been numerous burglaries in recent years.
The two men were not recognized by other residents, but concerned neighbors have said they plan to remain vigilant for similar activity.
“I’ll keep a little closer eye because now that they’ve tried one house, they’ll probably try another house,” Sumpter said.
The new tactic comes after another family in California was left shocked when they found a hidden camera camouflaged in a bush and pointed directly at their home.
The woman whose house was apparently being watched was alerted by her neighbor on camera, who thought the rubbish was in a bush.
The woman, known only as Lisa, told them KTL that her neighbor pulled out the bag to look for the camera, Lisa said, “She thought someone had thrown trash in her bush, so she went to clean it up. As she got closer to the bush, she took out a bag and there was a camera with a battery pack.”
The discovery came just one day after Lisa reviewed news coverage of four men arrested with a similar camera.
All four suspects were identified as Colombian nationals who they believe are part of an apparent burglary tourism ring.
Glendale Police Sgt. Vahe Abramyan told KTLA, “They will commit these crimes, they will use different identities, things like that, and in the end they will go back to their home country.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a bulletin warning residents about the theft groups after another camera was found in a flower bed of a Calabasas home.
The bulletin warns that South American Theft Groups (SATG) are often made up of Chilean or Colombian nationals. Police said the groups are “highly organized criminal enterprises” whose members are often in the US and have limited tourist visas.
They have warned homeowners to remain vigilant, conduct regular property inspections, improve home security measures and report anything suspicious.