ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Bold criminals were caught on a camera stealing thousands of dollars worth of stuff out of a garage in a Centennial neighborhood. The homeowners shared the video with FOX31, hoping to catch the culprits.
Brandon Wilson has lived in the Park View Neighborhood near Smoky Hill Road and E-470 for almost a decade. He said while he and his wife were both out of town, the kids and the babysitter forgot to close the garage door.
“Our children notified us in the morning that their bikes were missing. So I went log in to Vivint to look at the security cameras,” Wilson said.
Surveillance video catches thieves in the act
He has a camera mounted on the house and pointing at their driveway. Around midnight on Saturday, it showed a car drive by several times and even showed someone walking into the garage and scoping out the premises. They come back with others who appear to be two males and two females. Then one by one, the four take everything out of the garage.
“The duration was about an hour that they were going in and out,” Wilson said. “Taking ATV gear, ski gear, a lot of tools, power tools, kids’ bikes, scooters, extension cords, you name it they were taking at all. They even took a jug of laundry detergent. So, pretty bizarre.”
One of the thieves even rode one of the kids’ bikes off the driveway. The thieves swiped about $5,000-6,000 worth of property in total.
Whats more, Wilson worries it could have been a lot worse.
“The kids and the babysitter were in the house sleeping when it happened, and the people that got into the garage could have easily walked into the house,” Wilson said.
The two Wilson children, ages 8 and 12, are safe, but their father said it was a learning experience for everyone.
“[Our kids are] both pretty bummed out that their stuff got stolen, and I think they also feel bad that they forgot to close the garage and a lot of our stuff got taken as well,” Wilson said.
Crime victim’s advice: Be careful, be a good neighbor
The Wilsons have reported the crime to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and asked anyone who recognizes these people or their cars to give law enforcement a call.
“It’s definitely an unfortunate situation and I just urge everyone to take that extra step every night to make sure their garages or closed doors are locked,” Wilson said.
Wilson also encourages people to be good neighbors. He said if you see that your neighbor’s garage door is open when it shouldn’t be or isn’t usually, give them a call or knock on the door.