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A series of daytime residential burglaries on Lime Avenue in North Long Beach has prompted neighbors to reach out to increase alertness across the neighborhood. Multiple homeowners on the block of Lime Ave. between Barry Ave. and 67th Street have been victimized continually over the last few months, including twice last week alone.
Resident Joann—who asked her last name not to be used—says her house was burglarized during the day on February 6 after her neighbor’s house was also burglarized on February 1. These break-ins came after yet another neighbor’s house was burglarized November 20 on the same block in addition to a December 28 burglary three blocks east. Concerned, Joann and several other residents are attempting to not just notify others in the community but hopefully find the people responsible for the string.
“After speaking with neighbors about the recent burglaries,” Joann explained, “we have come to the conclusion that the suspect must live in our area. This suspect knows our schedules and cars.”
Joann pointed out that the fact that her husband’s inoperable van sits in the driveway—”A regular person would not enter a home during the daytime if a car is present”—and the burglar had noticed it sitting there for several days.
Around 12:30PM on February 6, a neighbor noticed Joann’s puppy on the porch, an oddity considering the driveway door was locked. According to neighborhood speculations, the burglar had to have hopped over her driveway side door, go into the back patio near the pool, and entered through her bathroom window, which was closed but not locked.
As noted by Joann, the neighborhood burglaries have caused the loss of laptops, iPads, iPods, jewelry and other items that can easily fit into a bag or backpack.
“Forensics could not find prints in my property indicating that he was wearing gloves,” Joann said. “We are all considering installing alarms but are upset that we have to resort to that. That is adding another bill in a time that we are trying so hard to make it. Some of us have just modified our loans or trying to do so.”
Reports were filed with the Long Beach Police Department, but so far, there are no leads. The LBPD encourages residents to do precisely what Joann did: gather each other to form proper lines of communication.
“We attempt to notify the public as much as possible,” said Sgt. Aaron Eaton of the LBPD. “We also have crimereports.com that the community can use to see what crimes are occurring in their neighborhoods. As we said in our year end stats, property crime is important to us and will continue to work with the community to eliminate simple opportunities for property to be stolen and will use technology to communicate with the community.”