After a series of burglaries in their community, Stevenson Ranch neighbors believe a group of thieves is using drones to occupy their homes.
“They’re obviously watching and watching what we’re doing,” neighbor Andrew Eliopulos said. “They pretend to be landscapers. They pretend to be maintenance people, but they’re not.”
Eliopulos said his house has been burglarized twice. Two weeks ago he noticed a drone following him to the bank. Eliopulos isn’t the only one who has noticed the drones.
One of his neighbors, who wished to remain anonymous, tracked the drones and apparently monitored the movements of his community. Recently, he followed a drone back to a nearby hotel.
“It seems like they are looking for empty houses and using high-end technology,” the man said.
He was one of three homeowners targeted in the gated community. He said the thieves stole an entire safe.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said they are investigating leads but have not arrested anyone.
“We’re all pretty skittish,” said another victim. “Everyone is really skittish and uneasy.”
The woman said her room was ransacked during a new wave of burglaries last year.
“They go for designer bags and jewelry,” she said. “They wiped us out.”
The victims believe the burglaries are linked to a South American crime tourism ring. Deputies have not confirmed this claim.
“It’s ridiculous that we are constantly harassed by people who come here, harass us and then think they can get away with this big robbery, but they can’t,” Eliopulos said. “They just damage people’s property and then just leave.”
Eliopulos and his neighbors don’t believe enough has been done to catch the thieves.
More security has been added to the neighborhood, but many have not let their guard down.
“We are afraid that someone will get hurt because people are not messing around here,” said one of the victims.
Eliopulos said “someone is going to get hurt” if investigators don’t catch the thieves.
“There are enough guns in this neighborhood to start a small army and someone is going to get hurt and I can assure you it probably won’t be one of my neighbors,” Eliopulos said. “We’re a close-knit group. We keep an eye on everyone. We see what’s going on.”
Amanda Starrantino
