SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Neighbors in 4S ranch are raising alarm bells after several break-ins, including one where a grandmother chased off an intruder.
Along Cayenne Ridge Road, two Saturdays ago, Jay Rostami returned home just past 2:30 p.m. to find his home ransacked.
“Everywhere I went, the house was turned upside down,” said Rostami.
In the back of the house, a sliding door was shattered. The burglars smashed open a locked door to get to a safe and a jewelry box in the master closet.
Among the stolen items: cash, handbags and dozens of pieces of jewelry belonging to Rostami's wife, Aiba Arianpour, including family heirlooms and gifts.
“I lost 45 years of my life,” said Arianpour.
Investigators surveyed the home and gave Rostami a conclusion.
“He looked around, and said this is the work of professionals,” said Rostami.
Fast forward five days to the next street over, Cayenne Creek Court.
Around 6:30 p.m., 81-year-old Peilin Fu was sitting in her family room, when she heard a loud noise.
Her daughter tells us she raced to the dining room in the back and saw the shattered sliding door. Behind it was a short man wearing a bike helmet and mask, and holding what looked like a hammer. Frightened, she still managed to yell at the man in Chinese, before he took off.
Both incidents involved sliding doors in the back of a high-end home. The MO appears to fit the same pattern as two recent burglaries in La Jolla, which police have linked to a South American theft ring.
In January, deputies said the theft ring, including Chilean nationals, were suspected in nearly 60 high-end burglaries. San Diego Police believe an additional 20 in La Jolla are now linked to the ring.
“They need to be caught, and the whole neighborhood needs to be on watch. They’re not going to stop until they're caught,” said Rostami.
A sheriff's spokesperson says they haven't linked the break-ins to the ring but their investigations on ongoing.
