Man posing as city worker distracts Burbank residents while house is burglarized

A man posing as a city worker was able to distract two Burbank residents in their backyard while an accomplice burglarized their home of more than $3,000 in cash and jewelry, police said.

The man arrived at the house in the 600 block of Harvard Road at about 5 p.m. Thursday wearing a dark green uniform with a two-way radio on his left shoulder, police said, and asked the 51-year-old woman who answered the door for access to the backyard.

The man said he worked for the city and was there to trim the trees before asking if anyone else was home, Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. The woman’s 82-year-old grandmother was also home, so the man said he needed to explain to both of them about the need to trim the trees in the backyard.

While they were all in the yard, another man allegedly entered the home and stole about $3,000 in cash, jewelry and a laptop, Ryburn said.

After about 15 minutes, the first suspect left and the women walked into the house to discover dresser drawers had been disturbed, Ryburn said.

The man who posed as city worker was described as white, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, roughly 145 pounds and about 49 years old. The second suspect was also described as a white male with a dark green uniform shirt and pants, 40 to 50 years old and about 5 feet 4 inches tall.

A neighbor told police two men were seen walking in front of the residence.

Ryburn said it was unclear how the second man was able to enter the house because the women told police they locked the front door.

“My advice would be that if you are contacted at your residence, and you have not requested any work, [to] call the city,” Ryburn said. “If the city hired any contractors, they will know about it. Do not allow anyone into your backyard. If they insist, call police.”

Ryburn encouraged residents to also get a vehicle description and license plate number.

-- Maria Hsin, Times Community News

Twitter: @mariahsin