Police Say 'Tourist Burglars' Are Targeting Hudson Valley Homes

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Arrest warrants issued by law enforcement in Connecticut are shedding more light on so-called "tourist burglars" that have targeted homes in Westchester County and beyond.

The Greenwich Police Department announced this week that it has secured arrest warrants for two burglary crews operating in the Fairfield and Westchester County areas. In total, eight arrest warrants were issued for burglary crews who were operating in the Town of Greenwich and other Fairfield and Westchester County towns.

The region has been experiencing a surge in burglaries committed by separate international criminal groups commonly referred to as "tourist burglars," police officials said.

The Greenwich Police Department said it has been working with law enforcement agencies from New York, New Jersey, and the FBI in order to identify and arrest members of these international crews.

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The suspects enter the United States and commit several burglaries in an area, and then leave the United States, returning to their country of origin, according to police officials. The problem has become pervasive in the greater tri-state area, including parts of the Hudson Valley.

The different crews are separate and have no connection to each other, but use the same tactics to commit their crime, according to police.

Since October 2021, the Town of Greenwich has experienced over 70 residential burglaries. In each case, the suspects hit high-end properties in the evening hours after sunset while residents are not home. The burglars enter through a second-floor window or door and if the home is armed with an alarm, the suspects flee the area and do not steal any property.

According to Greenwich police, the suspects believed to be part of one such crew that robbed homes in Old Greenwich and Greenwich are already in custody in Delaware and New Jersey facing similar charges in connection to burglaries in New York and elsewhere.

In January, an international theft ring with a similar modus operandi met their match when they targeted a Sound Shore community, according to federal officials.

Members of the Harrison Police Department collaborated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Nassau County Police Department Burglary Pattern Squad to carry out a federal search warrant in Queens leading to the arrests of two suspects who are believed to be members of the South American Theft Group (SATG), which law enforcement describes as "a criminal enterprise consisting of highly skilled criminals, particularly from Chile and Colombia."

Members of the SATG are known to enter the country illegally or by exploiting the tourist visa waiver program and when in the U.S., carry out thefts all across the country, according to authorities.