Neighbors across Milford are on high alert after a rash of smash-and-grab home burglaries.
Milford police said they’ve stepped up patrols since they began investigating a series of brazen home break-ins in late December. Approximately 12 of these break-ins have been reported, and police warned that these thieves have a bold method of breaking in.
“You’d think it would be in the mornings after people left for work, said Milford Police spokesman Michael DeVito.
But police said these residential burglaries are typically happening between the late afternoon and early evening.
“Fortunately these houses have been unoccupied,” DeVito said.
DeVito said the burglar, or burglars, are getting away with smaller items that are easy to carry away, like smaller electronics, cash, jewelry, and even a gun.
There is a recurring method of forced entry into the homes.
Local
“Nine of our 12, they utilized a large rock or a brick once even a propane tank to smash rear windows and or glass to gain entry,” DeVito said.
Police said an older, grey four-door sedan was spotted near the most recent home break-in. They shared surveillance video of one incident on Rivercliff Drive in hopes of preventing further.
“The video depicts a person of interest leaving one of the Rivercliff burglaries and it was taken from an adjacent home video footage,” DeVito explained.
“Very upsetting that they would be so bold,” said Colleen Abbott, who lives in the neighborhood where police obtained the home surveillance video.
“We don’t actually know anyone whose been broken in, but we’ve been hearing about it online mostly,” Abbott said. “But I feel fairly safe I have two dogs that are pretty vigilant, one you can hear barking right now, so I’m hoping that would scare them.”
Police said the home burglaries have not been limited to one section of the city. There have been several more of them reported one town over in Stratford.
