Residential burglaries reported throughout Newport Beach, suspect in custody

The Newport Beach Police Department reported burglars were active throughout the city over the past week, during which passports, jewelry, handbags and a wallet were stolen.

The earliest incident occurred in the 3100 block of Broad Street on Friday, May 26 at around 6 p.m. A second occurred on that same block around 10:30 a.m. the following day, May 27, after someone accessed the backyard of the property and shattered the rear glass door for entry, police said. The intruder located a safe and left with the passports that had been stored inside.

In the 1300 block of Estelle Lane, an attempted burglary occurred at around 9:10 p.m. on May 26. The residents were reportedly in bed when they heard sounds from their courtyard and, upon investigating, saw two males attempting to enter their home through a second-story window.

One of the victims shouted at the suspects, who then fled. One of the men wore a tan shirt with red shorts, while the other wore dark clothing and had a baseball cap on backwards. Both appeared to be around 5 feet 10 and 170 pounds. They are believed to have escaped in a dark-colored SUV.

The third of the reported burglaries occurred on May 27 in the 700 block of Harbor Island Drive at around 6:30 p.m., while the victim was away from the property, police said. When the suspect tried to open the front door, his image was captured on the home’s doorbell camera. The surveillance system alerted the victim, who in turn contacted police. Once inside, the suspect found and tried unsuccessfully to access a safe and was then captured by arriving officers. A watch and pieces of jewelry were recovered from that suspect.

Police said a fourth burglary occurred on Thursday, June 1, in the 1800 block of Port Stirling Place, where someone also accessed the property through the backyard rear glass door, between the hours of 2 and 6:50 p.m. Jewelry, handbags and a wallet were stolen from the master bedroom.

Police ask residents to call the department at (949) 644-3717 if they see any suspicious behavior in their neighborhood, especially if they know a neighbor is out of town, went out for the evening or are selling their house.