The homes of the wealthiest people in the United States, including those in the Bay Area, are being hit by burglars from Chile.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and FBI officials investigating the wave of burglaries, the Chilean gang members, who are reportedly being trained in Chile, are arriving from South America to Miami, Florida, typically on visitor or medical visas.
The trend started in 2019, receded for about a year and a half, and has been rising again in recent months.
One such area that's been targeted in these recent raids is the Peninsula, especially Atherton.
"They're targeting affluent neighborhoods, large homes, which is pretty much what Atherton is," said Atherton Police Chief Steve McCulley. "Because they assume that the odds of getting something worthwhile is going to be good."
According to McCulley, the burglar's strategy is to target master bedrooms, because that's where most people keep their valuables.
"They're typically showing up, late afternoon, and they're looking for homes that appear to be unoccupied," he said.
Items of interest include jewelry, designer purses, designer clothing, and safes. If a safe isn't secured to the wall or floor, the thieves will simply drag it away. Each operation can take only mere minutes.
The burglars appear to not want any contact with residents, said McCulley. So far, no one has been harmed in any of the thefts.
The largest haul the burglars have made off with so far is "$800,000 of unsecured jewelry in a master bedroom," said McCulley. "That was obviously a very significant loss."
The majority of burglaries often go unsolved, so the police chief advised, "If you have things of value, protect them, keep them out of your master bedroom, hide them somewhere else."
Other suggestions include making it appear as if someone is home at all times, like leaving lights or the television on.
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