Burglars, including one posing as pizza man, break into Elk Grove home while family is away
ELK GROVE — A Ring doorbell captured the moment a burglar was casing a home posing as a food delivery driver in Elk Grove. The break-in happened in broad daylight while the family was out of town, and now they're warning others.
"The home is the place where the family is safe," says the homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.
The homeowner is on edge and thinking about moving after a group of men broke into his house while his family was out of the country. He woke up in a different time zone to a strange alert.
"I saw the notification on my phone. I'm like, Wait a minute. Why is my door open from the inside?' So then I checked the Ring video and it showed a couple of—first, was the pizza guy."
One of the burglars was disguised as a pizza delivery driver and knocked on the door to see if anyone was home.
"He was talking to somebody while being in the front door, and from my understanding, from the interpretation, I can hear him say 'No one is home', and whoever is on the other line said, 'Just hang out for a little bit,' ' the homeowner said.
Once it was determined no one was home, a group of men broke through a window and ransacked the house.
"A lot of heirlooms. A lot of personal items. Things we've saved for 30 years. Our wedding gifts," the homeowner said describing what was stolen.
Elk Grove police say burglars posing as delivery drivers isn't anything new.
"There's all kinds of different tactics people have used to figure out if someone is home or not. Ultimately, they don't want you to be home. They don't want any type of resistance. They're looking for the easy target," says Sergeant Jason Jimenez.
The homeowner said he wishes people were more aware of this type of incident as many travel out of town during the holiday season.
So what can you do to protect your home?
"Have family, friends and neighbors come by often at random times. Have lights come on with timers at random times so it appears someone is home," Sgt. Jimenez said. "Here in Elk Grove, we offer residential checks, free of charge. Our volunteers will go by daily to check on your house."
The victims of the home invasion say they're creating a community watch group to prevent this from happening in their neighborhood.
