BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Bloomfield Township Police Department and other Oakland County law enforcement agencies are investigating a series of home invasions, with the most recent incident happening just last Sunday.
A group of three to four individuals are targeting high-end homes in Oakland County. Bloomfield Township police say they received reports of two home invasions in just the last week: last Thursday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jewelry, designer bags and accessories were taken from residents when no one was home.
“What we know is that these are highly organized crews that are from well outside of Michigan committing these crimes,” Bloomfield Township Police Department officer Nick Soley said.
The burglaries took place on Oxford Road and Charring Cross Road, and the suspects got away. Police unfortunately say the individuals were well covered up and there’s not a good suspect description to provide to the public.
“They’re doing a pretty good job of concealing their identities when it comes to masks, gloves, those types of accessories,” Soley said.
In September, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office made the community aware of an international ring of thieves from South America who were targeting homes in Bloomfield Township and all across the county. While police say they cannot definitively confirm that last week’s burglaries are in fact related to the international ring, they do say it’s possible.
“There’s a lot of similarities there,” Soley said.
Meanwhile, the surrounding community says they’re fed up.
“It’s too bad. It’s become really a high-theft area,” Kathy McCarthy from Birmingham said. “It’s alarming.”
McCarthy said just last week, the home right across the street from her mother-in-law in Bloomfield Hills was burglarized.
“It just leaves you a little unsettled,” McCarthy said.
Peggy Wright lives near Oxford Road where last week’s burglary took place and says she plans on taking extra precautions while police continue investigating.
“You kind of do a double-check, make sure you hear the beep in the garage from the remote before you go to bed,” Wright said.
Police say now is a good time to take those extra precautions: lock your home and car, check in on your neighbors and call police if you see anything suspicious in your neighborhood.
“Now is the time to be that nosey neighbor,” Soley said.