Redondo Beach

Police are trying to catch a “balcony burglar” who has made South Redondo his target for nearly a year.

The burglar is described as an 18- to 20-year-old white man with collar-length curly hair, about 5-foot-8 and 160 to 170 pounds. He usually strikes between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. while victims are asleep, said Greg Gaul, crime analyst.

In all of the 19 burglaries since last October, he has entered apartments or condominiums on the second floor or above through unlocked sliding doors, Gaul said. Police suspect that the burglar climbs up from lower balconies. Most of the burglaries have been on Catalina Avenue and the Esplanade.

He attempted to get into an eighth-floor apartment in the 600 block of The Esplanade, but somehow left when the couple went to the balcony, Gaul said. The thief has stolen primarily money and jewelry, he said, and has never threatened anyone.