FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Residents of an upscale Fort Lauderdale neighborhood are upset after more than a dozen homes were recently burglarized.
Police are investigating the string of burglaries that took place in Victoria Park.
While many victims don’t have the crook caught on camera, one particular homeowner did.
The video shows what appears to be a tall individual with a hoodie and mask rummaging through the house with a flashlight and bag in hand.
That person is seen opening doors and drawers. That victim had a safe, jewelry and even her father’s ashes stolen from her home.
A little more than two weeks ago, Arik Helman’s house was burglarized while he was on vacation. The crook busted through his hurricane impact sliding glass door.
The person or people responsible left behind a big mess.
“All of our drawers opened up, everything’s a mess. They pulled out suitcases from the closets, they flipped everything over,” Helman said. “They took jewelry, they took a firearm, they took cash, they took stuff that was sentimental, they took some electronics -- nothing big, everything small stuff that you can carry in a couple of backpacks and leave on foot.”
His home surveillance system, he says, was disabled.
“I can see my living room and it was in a perfect state on the 20th, 21st and then the cameras turn on on the 25th and it’s a mess,” he said.
It was the same situation with a neighbor just down the street from Helman.
That woman may have been the first victim, as her home was burglarized either in late July or early August.
“We were out of town and realized that our backyard camera just went out,” she said, adding that her home was also ransacked. “The bathrooms were a huge mess, the closets, everything out of the drawers were on the floor and the bedroom looked like an utter disaster.”
She also had money, jewelry and sentimental items stolen.
The victims are asking their neighbors to look through their cameras in hopes that the suspect might have been caught.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department released a statement regarding the burglaries that can be read below:
“The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has recently become aware of an increase in residential burglaries in the Victoria Park neighborhood over the last three months. These incidents are concerning because the suspect(s) appear to be making entry into the homes while the homeowners are away through hurricane impact windows. In some of the incidents, the loss is significant, including jewelry and other items. In two incidents the loss totaled more than $250,000 and $80,000. Additionally, we are concerned for the extreme measures being taken by the suspect(s) to make entry. This includes shutting down the Wi-Fi and alarm in a few of the incidents. Detectives are investigating all angles, including the possibility of these incidents being connected due to the similarities.
“We encourage anyone with information regarding these incidents to contact Detective Moule at 954-828-6032 or Broward County Crimestoppers. We additionally encourage homeowners to take necessary precautions while going out of town. This includes stopping mail and package deliveries, asking neighbors to watch your house, and leaving lights on a timer if possible.”
Fort Lauderdale PD
Broward Crime Stoppers is also involved, offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest, and the victims are offering a $6,000 reward for information in regard to their belongings.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.