Burglary in Newport Beach: Suspect Sliced through Kitchen Screen, Stole More than Dough

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Newport Beach police reported a residential burglary that took place over the weekend in the 1600 block of Arch Bay Drive.

No one was injured during the Saturday evening burglary, according to reports, but a Rolex watch and an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency was stolen, according to Jennifer Manzella, public information officer for the Newport Beach Police Department.

"On Dec. 10, an unknown suspect entered the victim’s home through a kitchen window after cutting the screen," she said. Once inside, the suspect rifled through kitchen drawers before heading upstairs.

"While in the home, the suspect located a safe and using tools from the victim’s garage, forced the safe open," she said.

The victim, who had been out for the evening, arrived home around at just after 11:15 p.m. to find someone inside her Arch Bay Drive home.

"She parked her vehicle in the garage before entering her home through the garage door," Manzella said.

The burglar was still in the home when the resident arrived according to reports.

"As soon as the victim entered the house and locked the garage door, she heard a loud thump upstairs, followed by footsteps," Manzella said.

The victim immediately fled her home and called 9-1-1.

"Officers arrived and searched the residence and determined a burglary had occurred," she said.

The Newport Police Department offered the following home security tips to residents leaving town for the holidays. Residents are reminded if you see something, say something.

Suspicious activity in your neighborhood, at a home where you know the neighbors are on vacation, or where residents have gone out for the evening, or even if a home is for sale, call the Newport Beach Police Department immediately at 949-644-3717.

Home Security Tips

• If you return home and find your pedestrian door that leads into your home locked, and you are certain that you left it unlocked, DO NOT GO INSIDE!
• Call 9-1-1 ~ Burglars often lock this door to slow down a victim, allowing the burglar extra time to get out of the home before the resident enters.
• If your home is equipped with an alarm, always activate it even if you’re only going out for a short walk.
  • Consider adding a motion sensor in your master bedroom/bathroom, which will activate the alarm if someone comes in through a glass window or door without opening it.
• Always keep your front and rear porch lights on from dusk to dawn and use motion detector lighting along the sides of your home or areas with little foot traffic.
• Use timers on indoor lamps to give the appearance that you are home.
• Adjust window coverings for optimal privacy while maintaining good visibility outside.
• If your garage door has a remote shutoff button on the wall-mounted control, located in the garage, consider locking the door nightly. This will prevent your garage door from being opened remotely.
• If you have a safe, make sure that it is properly bolted to concrete so that it cannot be easily removed.
• Always close and lock your safe and never leave a key or combination out or in an easy to find location (i.e. office, nightstand, etc).
• When you leave on vacation, remember to call the Police Department for a “Vacation Check” 949-644-3681

Report all suspicious activity by calling the Newport Beach Police Department at 949-644-3717.

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