Three sick armed thieves who pretended to be deliverymen broke into the home of a family in Colorado and attacked two children. This could be the start of a scary new trend, according to police and experts.
Parents of the kids who were upset but not home at the time of the June 12 home invasion saw the fake delivery men come in through a Ring doorbell.
A release from the Aurora Police Department says the men allegedly struck the babysitter and abused two children, a girl who is 14 years old and a boy who is 6 years old.
An ex-NYPD sergeant who is now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice said, “It’s an old crime with a new twist.” “These guys are always looking for a new way to get into your house, and I’m sure police are very worried about whether this is a growing pattern.”
Giacalone said that thieves used to try to get into homes by pretending to be utility workers. Nevertheless, this method doesn’t work anymore since workers wear unique outfits and carry ID cards, he said.
Scary home invasions have happened in Colorado recently, including one about 10 miles from downtown Denver. These have all been done by fake delivery workers.
According to video received by KDVR, the incident began just after 8:30 p.m., when one of the suspects walked up to the door wearing an orange vest and carrying a box.
“They were wearing hard hats and said they were there to deliver a package.” “They stood outside with a package and waited for the people inside to open the door,” the Aurora Police Department said. “When they did, the suspects forced their way in and robbed the family.”
Someone inside the house slightly opened the door, and the man in the vest pushed his way in right away.
After getting in, he started yelling at two of his friends in Spanish that he was inside.
Ring camera footage showed one of the men breaking into the house with what looked like a gun in his hand. It also showed another suspect getting out of an idling car outside to join them.
The thieves got gold and cash during the one-minute search, and the teen girl was touched inappropriately, her mother told KDVR.
During the break-in, the mother and the boy were also pushed to the ground.
The homeowners called the cops when their Ring camera told them about the break-ins.
The kids’ mother said that her son is very traumatized by what happened because he can be seen crying when the cops arrive.
Their mother said she was very scared by the attack and worried that it would hurt her children in the long run.
Since there have been a lot of home invasions, police officers across the country have told people to be careful about letting strangers in.
A thief pretending to be a DoorDash driver was killed in Indiana last year when a homeowner pulled out a gun and shot the thief, FOX59 reported.
As deliverymen, two armed thieves broke into a home in New York City in November and stole items worth $70,000. The NYPD says that the victims were tied down with duct tape.
Last year, a fake deliveryman in an orange fluorescent vest and a manila envelope tried to break into a house in Connecticut with a gun, but the owner pushed him and slammed the door.
Giacalone said that making sure the delivery person is who they say they are is the most important thing you can do to “keep something terrible from happening to your family.”
“If someone knocks on the door saying you need to sign for a package request to see their ID, whether through a window, a peephole or a door camera,” he said.
He also said that people should look out their windows to make sure there is a UPS or Amazon truck close.
