Burglars use deception to steal from older homeowners

A string of December burglaries across Nassau County targeted older men and women, according to authorities.

Since Dec. 9, there have been seven burglaries or attempted burglaries reported in Bellmore, Merrick, Wantagh, Massapequa Park, Jericho and West Hempstead. According to Nassau County Police, the burglars use deception to distract unsuspecting residents while cash, credit cards and jewelry are stolen from their homes, said Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department.

One burglar lures homeowners away from their open doors, while an accomplice enters the home and searches for valuables, Smith said. The accomplice signals to his partner with a walkie-talkie or Nextel phone to leave once valuables are stolen. Nearly all of the targeted residents have been more than 80 years old.

“They engage these people, and they seem like nice people,” Smith said. “They’re anything but. They’re vile and they’re preying on these people.”

Though Smith could not say whether the same pair perpetrated all of the burglaries or attempted burglaries, he did say that at least four of the complaints spoke of a Hispanic woman who lured or tried to lure victims outside by saying she was a neighbor who wanted to have work done in the backyard. According to Smith, police believe she is working with a Hispanic male partner.

The other three reports described the burglars as two men, either Caucasian or Hispanic. Valuables were stolen at three of the homes, according to police.

Smith urged residents to be cautious. “If you don’t know them, don’t let them in,” Smith said. “People generally don’t go to your front door and ask if they can do work for you.”

On Dec. 29, police reported that a Bellmore home was burglarized three days earlier. At about 1 p.m. on Dec. 26, the victim, a 91-year-old female, answered her Maple Avenue door and spoke with a Hispanic woman about yard work. The victim followed the suspect into the yard for about 10 minutes, and when she returned to her house, she discovered that she was missing money, credit cards and jewelry.

On Dec. 27 at 11:40 a.m., a woman arrived at a Yale Place home in Merrick. She allegedly used a similar ploy, this time saying that she wanted to build a fence bordering the homeowner’s property.

Police say that the female homeowner told the woman she would meet her in the backyard, but then locked her door, remained inside and walked toward the back of her house, where she saw the woman speaking on a walkie-talkie.

Police say that the would-be burglar left when she realized that her plot had been discovered. The homeowner did not report seeing a male accomplice, according to police, and said the woman may have left in a dark minivan.

Police ask anyone with information about these crimes to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls are confidential.