INDIANAPOLIS — Two different police agencies are investigating after a pair of burglars broke into multiple residences during the holiday weekend. Home surveillance systems caught the duo breaking into homes while families were away for the Fourth of July.
One of the break-ins happened just before 10 a.m. on Indy’s southeast side.
Security cameras captured a man in a tan uniform showing up at the home and knocking on the door numerous times. Once he realized nobody was home, he appeared to phone his accomplice.
After making their way inside, cameras captured them rummaging through the homeowner’s belongings and then running to their car and speeding off. The victim told FOX59 and CBS the burglars made off with jewelry and cash.
It’s believed that the burglars then went to the Stone Ridge neighborhood just outside of Greenfield.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and neighbors said the pair knocked on four doors but all those people were home.
The burglars then reached a fifth home, and that family was away on a vacation. The homeowner asked to remain anonymous.
“It was a very helpless feeling,” she said. “I was also very shocked because we’ve lived here, we built where we live, and we’ve always enjoyed the peace of our home in this area.”
She and her family were alerted of the incident by their alarm company. The family watched as the burglars made their way through their home.
“It feels very vulnerable,” she said. “We felt very vulnerable and helpless because we were away and couldn’t rush home.”
The alarm company dispatched police, but the burglars were quick. The homeowner said the burglars spent roughly five or six minutes inside grabbing whatever they could.
“It was a substantial loss for our family,” she said. “It wasn’t all monetary. There were sentimental things that were snatched in the situation.”
With summer in full swing and people out of town vacations, IMPD said burglars may see an opportunity to strike.
“We ask that homeowners be vigilant,” William Young with IMPD said. “Meaning, if you got camera footage, use the alarm system. Even notifying your neighbors that you may not be around, that way they can pick up your mail or kind of keep an eye out for you.”
Detectives working the cases are hoping someone will recognize the crooks and turn them in.
Both IMPD and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office are investigating because the burglaries happened in each of their respective jurisdictions.
Anyone with information on the burglary in Hancock County is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (317) 477-1199.
If you know something about the Indianapolis incident, you can contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.
