San Ramon families have fallen victim to a string of burglaries that began Nov. 2019. The burglars, who enter unoccupied homes to steal jewelry and other valuables, have yet to be caught.

Many families across San Ramon have been affected by this group of burglars, but their identities have not been found. The burglars are known for breaking through glass entryways and robbing people of their high-value items, says San Ramon Police Department Sgt. Robert Ransom. 

“They almost always go directly to the master bedroom and ransack that and steal jewelry, cash and guns,” Ransom told NBC.

Another key characteristic of these robbers is that they almost always strike when people are not at home.

“They’ll knock, and if no one comes to the door, then they’ll go around to the rear yard, then they’ll smash the sliding glass door,” Sgt. Michael Schneider said.

A video released by the San Ramon Police Department shows the robbers in dark-colored clothes inside of a house.

Ransom acknowledges that these aren’t the burglars’ first robberies and that they drive around neighborhoods looking for houses to target.

“[The burglars] are looking for a house right after dark that’s not lit. They’re concluding that nobody is at home,” Ransom said about the burglars’ tactics. “Not too many people go to bed at 5 o’clock.”

One family even walked in on the burglars robbing their home after going out one evening.

“My wife ran out, saying there’s somebody in the house. I went in to look and sure enough, our back door was broken into. We ran out to call the police, but three people came out from the backyard and walked up to their Mercedes and took off,” homeowner Kirit Patel told NBC news.

According to NBC and Patch, the burglars have a dark blue or black Mercedes with a dealer paper license plate and no model, making the group harder to track. 

To prevent more of these robberies, police recommend installing an alarm system, leaving porch lights on when not at home and talking to trusted neighbors so that they can keep watch as well. 

The burglars have not been caught, and not much information has been publicly released. However, according to KTVU, detectives are working on leads and will patrol more frequently.