‘Epidemic’: Sydney houses raided by thieves looking for one thing
A family is left shaken after a group of masked men tried to burglarize a home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with their eyes locked on a single target.
Parents Emily and Chris were asleep at their home in Balgowlah at around 1.45am on October 14 when they were awakened by human voices inside the property.
Emily told the Manly Observer she heard the sound of keys when she woke her husband.
Security footage revealed three men dressed in dark clothing, balaclavas and hats standing outside the front door and trying to get inside.
A man was seen holding a sharp object in his hand as he tried to find a way into the house.
But one of the other men, unable to access the property from the front of the house, turned around and grabbed a pair of light blue Crocs that belonged to Chris and Emily’s daughter.
The trio managed to enter the Balgowlah property through the back door and took two sets of keys from the property.
A group of masked men were seen trying to steal a car at a property in Balgowlah, making off with a pair of Crocs and then being chased by the homeowner.
Homeowner Chris then chased the masked men off the property, following them to their car and clinging to the window before being thrown from the vehicle.
Following the incident, he suffered abrasions on his elbow and swelling in his knee, and his foot needed to be x-rayed.
NSW Police told NewsWire they were investigating the incident.
Authorities said the armed couple targeted homes with luxury or high-performance vehicles in the driveway.
Two-storey homes are also a prime target, as criminals can sneak into the property and steal car keys without disturbing those sleeping upstairs.
Blake Cole, owner of Mobilization Locksmiths, described the wave of robberies as an “epidemic”, saying he had had to change several car locks in the Northern Beaches area since the school holidays ended.
Officers warned residents to ensure the safety of their homes by locking windows, doors and garages, as well as locking their cars when not in use.
“Make sure garage remotes and vehicle keys are securely stored out of sight and not easily accessible,” they said.
“Don’t leave them in the vehicle.”
Additional security measures such as installing home security cameras, a video doorbell, and motion sensor lights can also help deter entry.
