Burglaries in one quiet Bay Area neighborhood are taking a disturbing new turn

"Historically, a lot of the break-ins have been when people have been away. Now that there have been some break-ins where people have been at home, there's an increased concern. One of the most frightening burglaries was when a teenage girl encountered a masked burglar in the hallway. They looked at each other, and apparently he left, but you know, there will come a point when somebody's going to grab something to protect themselves. That is really scary."

"Most of the burglars have entered during dinnertime through the side of residents' homes, using a small device that shatters a window in seconds. Valuable items such as jewelry and designer handbags have been taken within 3 minutes. According to the Menlo Park Police Department dashboard, burglaries initially surged during the start of the pandemic. After 10 were reported across the city in April 2020, 25 burglaries were reported just the next month."

Sharon Heights, a Menlo Park neighborhood known for luxury homes, experiences a significant surge in residential burglaries. While break-ins have occurred for years, the critical shift involves thieves now targeting homes while families are present, creating heightened safety concerns. Burglars typically strike during dinnertime, using specialized devices to shatter windows in seconds and steal jewelry and designer handbags within minutes. One incident involved a teenage girl encountering a masked intruder in her hallway. Police data shows burglaries initially spiked during the pandemic's start in 2020, with numbers reaching 33 in August. After declining in 2021, cases resurged to 36 in January 2024, prompting residents to demand increased law enforcement action.

Read at SFGATE