Group of burglars break into Newport Beach homes by smashing through second-story windows

Police are urging residents to be on alert after two particularly brazen break-ins in Newport Beach.

Both break-ins happened Friday night, less than two miles apart, and were committed by a group of people, according to Newport Beach police. In both instances, the suspects broke a second-story window in order to get into the home, and got away in an SUV.

The first break-in happened at a home in the Spyglass Hill community at about 8 p.m. As many as four people got into the home by using a ladder that had been in a side yard to climb to the window of the master bathroom on the second floor. The suspect shattered the window, and once inside, rummaged through the drawers in the master bedroom, bathroom, and closet, getting away with an unknown amount of jewelry.

No suspect information was available in this break-in.

Just about 30 minutes later, a homeowner was alerted to activity in his home in the 1900 block of Port Albans Place in the Harbor View community. The homeowner called Newport Beach police, whose officers arrived after the burglars had already left the area. The officers determined at least three males had gotten into the property's backyard, where they stacked patio furniture onto a storage container to reach a second-story window.

The intruders shattered the window to get in, rummaged through all the drawers in the home's bedrooms and bathrooms, and found a safe. Surveillance video captured the burglars working hard to roll the 800-pound safe down the stairs, through the front door and into the SUV. In all, the burglars got away with the safe, jewelry, credit cards, and personal documents.

In the second break-in, the homeowner was able to describe the suspects as three Hispanic males wearing light-colored hats, sweatshirts, pants, shoes and face masks, and the SUV was described only as white.

Police say residents who see suspicious activity in their neighborhood — especially if they know their neighbors are on vacation, are out for the night, or if their home is for sale — should call the Newport Beach Police Department at (949) 644-3717.