Neighbors remain on edge as burglars dressed as gardeners are targeting homes in San Bernardino County.
On Dec. 5, surveillance video captured two masked men in a black SUV approaching a Rancho Cucamonga home on Stoneview Road at around 4:22 p.m.
“It looks like there’s someone who drives up from the front,” a neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told KTLA. “My understanding is they also broke into the house from the inside [first.]”
The neighbor said the suspects were dressed as gardeners or maintenance workers.
“I believe they were monitoring the residence because of how quickly it happened, how familiar they were, how they were able to get in and out very quickly,” he said.
After parking in the driveway, the first suspect steps out and opens the car trunk. The second suspect opens the home’s garage door from the inside.
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Security cameras captured two burglars dressed as gardeners stealing a safe from a Rancho Cucamonga home on Dec. 5, 2024. -
Security cameras captured two burglars dressed as gardeners stealing a safe from a Rancho Cucamonga home on Dec. 5, 2024. -
One suspect opens the garage from inside before both men steal a large safe from a Rancho Cucamonga home on Dec. 5, 2024. -
Security cameras captured two burglars dressed as gardeners stealing a safe from a Rancho Cucamonga home on Dec. 5, 2024.
Both men quickly lift a large safe out of the garage and into the trunk of their SUV.
“It’s a black Mazda,” the neighbor said of the getaway car. “I can’t say that I’ve seen it before.”
Edgar Sumpter, a man who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 16 years, said there have been a handful of burglaries over the past few years.
It’s unclear whether the previous break-ins involved the same suspects. Residents in the area said they did not recognize the two men.
After hearing the news, concerned neighbors said they plan to remain vigilant.
“One of the main reasons why I want to bring attention to this is because I fear that they could strike again or commit other similar types of crimes,” the unidentified neighbor said.
“I will keep an eye out a little more closely because now that they’ve tried one house, they’ll probably try another one,” Sumpter said.
Anyone with information on the incident can call the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at 909-884-0156.
