Terrifying new way brazen burglars are targeting millionaire homeowners in California

A wealthy California neighborhood is on edge amid a spate of home invasions — where the thieves have become terrifyingly brazen.

Sharon Heights, an extremely wealthy, upscale neighborhood in Menlo Park, California, widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s premier residential areas, is seeing a disturbing uptick in burglaries where the families are home at the time.

“Historically, a lot of the break-ins have been when people have been away,” Sharon Heights resident Brian Kissel told SFGate.

“Now that there have been some break-ins where people have been at home, there’s an increased concern.”

In the last three months, there have been 13 reported burglaries in the upscale enclave, but residents say this has been an ongoing issue, the outlet reported.

This activity “mirrors trends across the entire Bay Area and extends to similar communities statewide,” Nicole Acker, a spokesperson for the Menlo Park Police Department, told SFGate.

“One of our main focuses is on burglary-suppression operations, and our detectives are working these cases aggressively, coordinating with multiple agencies regarding regional crews tied to cases here in Menlo Park,” Acker insisted.

Most of the burglars have entered during dinnertime through the side of residents’ homes, using a small device that shatters a window “in seconds,” said Martha Sewald, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly four decades.

“Valuable items such as jewelry and designer handbags have been taken within three minutes,” she told SFGate.

Only one person connected to the string of burglaries has been charged so far, according to officials.

A local city council member said the incidents remain a top concern for the community and pledged to work with police and county officials to strengthen enforcement and prevention efforts.

“We need residents in Menlo Park to come out and say that they would support the use of those drones as well,” Ray Mueller, San Mateo County District 3 supervisor for Menlo Park, said.

“There’s not a single solution. It’s going to be a combination of multiple things,” Kissel said.

“Absolutely technology, the neighbors working together, educating neighbors on how to keep their homes safe. It’s a lot of things that will hopefully, in total, help us remain safe.”

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