Residents of a condominium complex in Playa del Rey are furious after burglars ransacked their building while it was being fumigated for termites.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the burglaries occurred from December 11 to 13 during the decontamination period at Del Rey Plaza on Tuscany Avenue.
All residents were evacuated and the building was tented for the fumigation process.
The homeowners association promised to provide 24-hour security to patrol the property while they were away, but somehow burglars were able to loot 23 of the building’s 39 total units, escaping with cash , jewelry and other valuables while leaving the property behind. units smashed and destroyed.
Many victims, including Carol Fontaine, the president of the homeowners’ association, were targeted by the career criminals.
Security cameras captured one of the burglaries when an intruder wearing a gas mask opened the front door and casually looked for valuables.
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Security cameras captured a suspect wearing a breathing mask breaking into a Playa del Rey apartment that was fumigated for termites in December 2024.
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Burglars left Carol Fontaine’s unit vandalized and vandalized after a Playa del Rey apartment complex was targeted by criminals during a December 2024 fumigation.
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A victim’s front door was smashed in by burglars who ransacked an apartment complex in Playa del Rey in December 2024. (KTLA)
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The Del Rey Plaza condominium on Tuscany Avenue in Playa del Rey, California. (KTLA)
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Burglars left Carol Fontaine’s unit vandalized and vandalized after a Playa del Rey apartment complex was targeted by criminals during a December 2024 fumigation.
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The Del Rey Plaza condominium building on Tuscany Avenue in Playa del Rey, California. (KTLA)
Fontaine returned to her unit on Friday to find her front door had been smashed in, while her bedroom and cupboards had been completely destroyed and all her belongings had been thrown to the floor.
“It’s pretty devastating for a lot of us,” Fontaine told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. “There was 24-hour security and patrol outside, and then I got a call from the termite company saying there were break-ins. All floors were hit.”
Fontaine said thieves escaped with many of her valuables, including jewelry and ammunition.
“During the [fumigation] During the process we had several people report that there were lights on in the building even though we were told to turn off all our lights,” said Loren Brown, a resident. “That was the first clue. But we thought we had guards 24 hours a day, things were being monitored and it’s all fine.”
Many residents wonder how the burglars could gain access to the building if security were on patrol.
“We have 23 doors that have been smashed. We have places that have been looted that you have no idea about,” Brown said. ‘The money is gone, the weapons are gone. The people who were here knew what they were doing. They wore breathing apparatus. This doesn’t feel like something organic. For me, this is somehow an inside job.”
Residents of the victim are working closely with police as investigators gather evidence and provide leads on the suspects.
For those who may be fumigating their homes, victims said they strongly recommend taking all valuables with you or housing them in a secure location away from the vacant home.
Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247.
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