Rossmoor Hit by a Night of Car Burglaries

A notable decline in crime in Rossmoor came to an abrupt end this week when 15 cars were burglarized last Saturday night in a crime spree along Ruth Elaine and Martha Ann.

“We got hit hard on Saturday,” said Lt. Bob Wren of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “We’re pretty confident it’s not 15 burglars. It’s one person, and they hit 15 cars.”

Investigators are pursuing leads. They believe the thief went up and down the street, pulling door handles and taking valuables left in unlocked cars, said Wren.

To deter thieves, Wren urges residents to lock their cars and put their valuables out of sight. Following the Saturday crime spree, the Sheriff’s Department saturated the neighborhood with 10 deputies and maintained a heavy presence in the community this week.

“I have to be prudent with the resources available to me, and that is the great thing about the Sheriff’s Department: We do have lots of resources to draw from,” added Wren.

Although thefts from cars have spiked in Rossmoor, residential burglaries have declined. Only one Rossmoor home was burglarized in June; there were three such burglaries in May, and five in April.

For a low-crime community such as Rossmoor, the string of residential burglaries was high. Detectives and residents held a community meeting and ramped up Neighborhood Watch programs, along with patrols and other measures.

“We’ve really been putting resources onto it, and we’ve been making some headway,” added Wren.

To report suspicious persons or to schedule Sheriff’s Department vacation checks, call 714-647-7000. To join the Neighborhood Watch, go to the Rossmoor Homeowners Association website.