Peninsula Thieves Using High End, Luxury Vehicles to 'Blend In' During Daytime Burglaries: Police

MILLBRAE, CA- Burglars smashed a sliding glass door to two homes in Millbrae and stole undisclosed items sometime between Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, San Mateo County sheriff's deputies said Thursday.

The first burglary occurred in the 1400 block of Gavilan Way in the Mills Estate neighborhood. The second occurred nearby in the 100 block of Conejo Drive, also in the Mills Estate neighborhood, according to sheriff's officials.

Both occurred sometime between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. No one was home during either burglary. No suspect information is available, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's officials say it appears the thieves are using a certain method to commit their crimes.

"Suspects have been known to use high end or luxury vehicles in order to blend into neighborhoods," officials said in an alert Wednesday. "Often, the suspect will knock or ring the bell and when no answer, they move to the rear of the home breaking a window to gain entry."

Spokesman Salvador Zuno is asking residents with backyard gates to be sure they are locked and install exterior lights with motion sensors if they can afford to do so. Even better would be a security system, but a less expensive option is a motion detection system that turns on lights and sounds an alarm.

Zuno is also encouraging residents to get to know their neighbors so residents can identify suspicious people trying to blend into the neighborhood. Both burglaries may have occurred during daylight hours.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is being asked to call Detective Victor Bertolozzi at (650) 259-2321 or get in touch with him by email at vbertolozzi@smcgov.org. Anonymous callers can call the sheriff's anonymous tip line at (800) 547-2700.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report.  Image via Shutterstock.