'I'm concerned they might come back'; residents fearful for safety as break-ins in Redmond continue
"I'm concerned they might come back," residents fearful for safety as break-ins in Redmond continue
Residents in Redmond are on high alert as the number of break-ins are stacking up. Victims fear it's the same crew targeting different area and making off with more than just their valuables, their sense of security.
REDMOND, Wash. - Residents are on high alert in Redmond as the number of break-ins are stacking up.
Victims fear it's the same crew targeting different areas and making off with more than just their valuables—their sense of security.
Andrew, who only wanted us to use his first name, says he's been living in his neighborhood for about nine years, and says it's been pretty peaceful until now.
He left his home around 7 p.m. Sunday to run an errand with his wife. They were gone about 30 minutes. Three men broke into their home in that time span.
"I opened the door to the house proper and saw part of the window frame by a refrigerator," Andrew recalled.
He says he walked around the kitchen and saw muddy footprints starting in his dining room, leading up the stairs.
"I ran out to my wife he said we've been we've been robbed," said Andrew.
He says three men came in to the backyard and broke through a window on the first floor after they smashed the lights outside the home.
Once inside, he says the crew locked themselves in their bedroom and ransacked it.
The men allegedly threw his fire safe out the window and made off with personal documents and his wife’s jewelry, which she collected over 25 years.
"Most of it [was] sentimental, and she can't get it back because it's birthday gifts and stuff given to her by her mom that you cannot collect, it's all very sentimental," Andrew said.
He called 911 and started going through his home surveillance videos.
"They're pretty brazen because they stare right at the camera at one point," Andrew said.
He said the video shows one of the men carrying what could possibly be a tool to break windows another carrying their loot bag.
Before walking through the front of his home, cameras on the side of his home captured the burglars running from across his neighbors home.
"I grabbed my flashlight, went around to their house; they had broken their second story window.," Andrew said.
He called his neighbors, who asked him to walk their property. Their home was ransacked, too.
"You don't really feel comfortable in your own home anymore," Andrew said.
The ordeal has made it hard for him and other neighbors to live their daily routines. He says he's home more often now and has added additional security cameras and lights to make his home more visible.
Andrew's also been keeping a close eye on other burglaries reported around him. He’s started comparing the videos other neighbors have shared on social media.
"They seem very similar in their M.O.," Andrew said. "I think they are the same three guys."
RELATED: Redmond homeowners believe same burglars are targeting more than 2 dozen homes
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He says he and his wife feel violated, that their sense of security and comfort have been robbed from them.
"I'm concerned they might come back," said Andrew.
He says his homeowners' association (HOA) is planning on meeting as a collective to discuss strategies on how they can make their neighborhood safer.
Another HOA president told FOX 13 News he's coordinating a meeting with the King County Sheriff's Office and community members.
FOX 13 reached out to see if the cases are connected and are waiting to hear back.