Studio City home burglary caught on camera as masked thieves steal $100K in valuables
Studio City burglars steal $100,000 in valuables
Three masked burglars stole about $100,000 in valuables from a Studio City home in roughly seven minutes while the family watched remotely. Neighbors say recent burglaries and vehicle thefts have left them fearful and prompted them to increase security measures.
LOS ANGELES - Three masked burglars smashed through the rear sliding door of a Studio City home Friday night and made off with about $100,000 in valuables in roughly seven minutes, the homeowner said.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said the crew circled Beck Street, just north of Ventura Boulevard, several times before moving in around 11:30 p.m. The family was out of town but watched on their phone as the burglars swept through the house, grabbing purses, jewelry and Nike sneakers. Officers arrived to find the home empty.
The break-in wasn't the only crime on the block this week.
A few doors down, Amanda Feuerman said her own car, and a visiting friend's, had been targeted just nights earlier.
"They took gas out of my car, and I feel violated. So I can't imagine coming into someone's home and taking $100,000 worth of things. Like, that's gotta feel awful, and it's scary. You have to sleep in that house at night knowing that someone got into it," Feuerman said.
Other neighbors are adding layers of protection to their homes.
"I have more cameras. Every time I leave the house, I leave all the lights on so that they will think that someone is in the house. I'm hoping that that will help," Vaknine said.
Vaknine said she now watches for unfamiliar cars and faces while walking her dog, Bamba.
"I'm scared, honestly. I've been scared from hearing about it, everything that's going on in this neighborhood, and not just here. I hear it's all over. That's my biggest fear," Vaknine said.
Around the same time Friday night, two burglars dressed in dark clothing ransacked a home on the 700 block of Teakwood Road in Brentwood. They fled before police arrived.
Last week in Sherman Oaks, burglars shattered a glass door at a home on the 13000 block of Otsego Street, where a family with a young child was inside at the time. Officers searched the house room to room with guns drawn and escorted the family out safely.
Neighbors in Studio City say they want to see stepped-up patrols in the area.
"There's certainly worse crimes happening in the city of Los Angeles, but regardless, it is a crime, and it is dangerous. And I've had neighbors with break-ins when they're home. So I think it's something that's been going on for a while. I think they need to take it more seriously," Feuerman said.
Police have not said whether any of the break-ins are connected, and no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS.