According to Sunday’s community alert, many of these sophisticated burglary teams are from South America and target wealthy communities.
A residential security camera shows a suspect falling to the ground and looking around around midnight on March 11.
As thieves with stolen property load the vehicle, a getaway car pulls up. According to police, the thieves also stole an SUV from the garage. Police announced Sunday that they had recovered the car stolen by thieves and have processed it as evidence.
Investigators believe that the suspects are responsible for other burglaries in Hillsborough as well as throughout the region. The investigation is ongoing and local authorities are cooperating with federal partners and law enforcement agencies in Southern California.
According to police, South American Theft Groups are believed to often enter the U.S. legally and then rotate their members out of the country within a matter weeks. Hillsborough was the first to investigate such crime rings in 2018. Police said that suspects are known to use luxury cars to blend in with their target communities.
“I have been seeing more police officers driving around at night. People are more concerned lately because I am young and I drive a black van. Matt Gouley, a Hillsborough resident, said that she stopped me recently thinking I was a burglar — or thief — asking what I was doing here.
Four people were seen carrying a safe from their home to an SUV of dark-colored color earlier this month. According to police, credit cards found in the safe were later used by Modesto and Los Angeles County. Hillsborough Police claim that similar areas were also found in previous investigations.
“I have many Hillsborough friends. Joana Khatib, a CBS San Francisco correspondent, said that her family lives in Burlingame and mentioned they were concerned about burglars breaking into. It makes me feel a little more secure, but it also reminds me to lock my doors and get a Ring camera.
