Cops issue urgent warning to homeowners who find strange item outside their home
Cops are urging citizens to inspect the areas around their homes following the discovery of a hidden camera outside a targeted house this past week.
A social media post out of crime-ravaged Southern California showed a photo of the device - a camera concealed in a green shell surrounded by leaves.
It was left in a bush outside a home on S. Primrose Avenue Monday night, following an attempted burglary on the residence.
An alarm company notified them of an attempt to open the kitchen window earlier that day, a month after four Colombian nationals were cuffed for allegedly running a 'burglary tourism' ring that involved the use of camouflage cameras.
That happened in Glendale a few miles away, as burglary tourism seen since the pandemic continues to dominate headlines not only in The Golden State, but elsewhere as well.
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Cops are urging citizens to inspect the areas around their homes following the discovery of a hidden camera outside a targeted house this past week. Pictured, a camera uncovered outside a home in LA , amid a concerning trend of 'Burglary Tourism'
'Last night, your APD responded to a call on the 1900 block of S. Primrose Ave. regarding a report of an attempted burglary,' the Alhambra Police Department wrote in a statement Wednesday that announced no arrests.
'The victim's neighbor found a hidden camera in the bushes pointing toward their home.
'Their alarm company also notified them of an attempt to open the kitchen window earlier that day.
'Unfortunately, camouflage cameras are a tactic being used in residential burglaries,' it continued, sharing an evidence photo of the camera in question.
'These cameras are strategically placed in discrete areas, such as bushes, to allow thieves to gather information about homeowners' daily routines to burglarize their homes.'
'Follow these safety tips to protect your home.'
Cops in the small suburb eight miles from Downtown LA proceeded to offer eight tips to avoid becoming a victim, like never leave a hidden key outside your home, and always lock doors and windows when leaving, even if only for a moment.
If you spot a suspicious vehicle, write down the license plate, officers also advised - adding to also keep your front porch and exteriors well-lit.
A social media post out of crime ravaged Southern California showed a photo of the device - a camera concealed in a green shell surrounded by leaves
It was left in a bush outside a home on the 1900 block of S. Primrose Avenue Monday night, following an attempted burglary on the residence
Trees and bushes should also be well-trimmed, they said - as to not become an easy hiding spot for thieves.
The installation of security cameras is also important, cop said - as is monitoring them frequently.
And lastly, a broken window or open door should be a telltale sign to call police immediately, and to not even come close to entering.
'Remember, it's important to regularly inspect the exterior of your home for any unfamiliar objects or changes in the landscaping that could potentially hide a surveillance camera,' cops said in their statement.
'Keep an eye out for suspicious people knocking on doors. They may be checking whether someone is home.'
In this particular incident, the cameras were found before the thieves could gain entry, as was the case with more equipment found a few weeks ago in nearby Garden Grove.
The camera was found in the bushes and camouflaged with greenery to prevent it from being seen, but who put it there and how long it was stationed remains unknown.
The camera in that case was also found by an eagle-eyed neighbor, the homeowner told KTLA May 28.
In this particular incident, the cameras were found before the thieves could gain entry - as was the case with more equipment found a few weeks ago in nearby Garden Grove (pictured)
The camera was found days after Glendale cops' arrests of the four men with similar camera and battery pack equipment, also camouflaged with an array of carefully curated leaves. Their arrest this past May is seen here
The Police Department released video of the arrest when they pulled over a vehicle being driven by the perps without headlights, after which a bag containing similar spy devices in the backseat was discovered
'She thought that someone had put trash in her bush, so she went to clear it up,” the homeowner, identified only as Lisa, said of the vine-like contraption found the night before 30 miles outside Downtown LA.
'Upon getting closer to the bush, she pulled out a bag and there was a camera with a battery pack,' she said.
The camera was found days after Glendale cops' arrests of the four men with similar camera and battery pack equipment, also camouflaged convincingly with an array of carefully curated leaves.
'That’s what was weird to me and made me want to reach out to you,' Lisa told KTLA.
In the Glendale case, the four arrested - 28-year-old Bryan Martinez Vargas, Jose Antonio Velasquez, 28, Edison Arley Pinzon Fandino, 27, and Luis Carlos Moreno, 29 - were all Colombian, and all proponents of the new trend, cops claim.
The men were arrested May 20 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary, following the discovery of multiple cameras on city streets and private property used to spy on residents and case their often affluent homes.
The Police Department released video of the arrest when they pulled over a vehicle being driven by the perps without headlights, after which a bag containing similar spy devices in the backseat was discovered.
At the time, cops in the city 10 miles north of Downtown LA chalked the incident up to being merely the latest example of 'burglarly tourism', a trend seen since the pandemic, in states as far-flung as the East Coast.
In the Glendale case, the four arrested - 28-year-old Bryan Martinez Vargas, Jose Antonio Velasquez, 28, Edison Arley Pinzon Fandino, 27, and Luis Carlos Moreno, 29 - were all Colombian, and all proponents of the new trend, cops claim
Cops in the small suburb eight miles from Downtown LA proceeded to offer eight tips to avoid becoming a victim, like never leave a hidden key outside your home, and always lock doors and windows when leaving, even briefly
A battery pack for one of the seized spy devices is seen here, as cops in several counties try to keep a clasp on the new form of crime, which has also been seen on the East Coast
The felonious fad involves foreign nationals entering the United States using tourist visas to commit burglaries, Glendale PD Sgt. Vahe Abramyan reiterated last month.
“They’ll commit these crimes, they’ll use different identities, things like that and eventually they’ll go back to their home country.'
'Some of these residential burglars have been recorded going through second-story homes,' added Officer Jessica Cuchilla with the police force in Huntington Beach.
“In these instances, the reason why they’re going in through there is because people don’t install alarm systems on their second story.”
The thieves typically then ship the items they steal back to their home countries or sell the items before leaving, both cops said.
Meanwhile, back in December, four Chilean men were arrested after being apprehended in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb, after being accused of being part of a national theft group targeting homes across the country.
The four men - Alvaro Javier Ganin Ganin, 36, Jorge Fabrizeo Sepulveda Alvarez, 34, Vaster Miller Guajardo Pedrero, 31, and Nicolas Andres Matus Lucero, 29 - are all from Chile, and were spotted around 6 pm driving around the neighborhood in Abington to allegedly case homes.
The township - namely its affluent Meadowbrook section - has also been bombarded with burglaries in recent years, with a dozen of organized strikes from suspected South American 'crime tourist' groups seen since 2021.
back in December, four Chilean men were arrested after being apprehended in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb, with a dozen of organized strikes from suspected South American 'crime tourist' groups seen since 2021. Cuffed Jorge Fabrizeo Sepulveda Alvarez, 34, is seen here
The men - including fellow suspects Vaster Miller Guajardo Pedrero, 31, and Nicolas Andres Matus Lucero, 29 - were all from Chile, and like the suspects in Glendale, were spotted driving around an affluent area in the state
Cops said they had fraudulent IDs, and burglary tools including masks, gloves, and pry bars. Also found were photos and GPS directions to certain homes in the area, and a saw for getting into safes. The eldest suspect, Alvaro Javier Ganin Ganin, 36, is seen here
Cops in the township have since become wise to the organized crime, and had been conducting surveillance that evening on a car carrying the suspects as it appeared to case the neighborhood, which boasts a median home price of about $517,500.
Upon pulling them over, they found that a few of the men possessed fraudulent IDs, and burglary tools including masks, gloves, and pry bars.
Also found were photos and GPS directions to certain homes in the area, and a saw for getting into safes.
