BROOKLINE (KDKA) – People in one city neighborhood are stunned after several burglaries in just a short amount of time.

Now, police are warning people to be on alert.

Melvin Kunz has lived in the same Brookline house for 55 years and has always felt safe – until now.

“I’ll tell you when I go to bed at night I just lay there for a couple seconds. I can’t sleep right away I just think about it,” Kunz said.

His was one of eight homes that were recently broken into. Many of the break-ins happened while the residents were home.

“They turned these two plastic chairs around. The window was halfway open because it was a warm night,” Kunz said.

Melvin and his wife were asleep at the time and had no idea they were being burglarized until the morning.

“They took two watches off the dresser there went into my room took my wallet out of my pants took the money and threw the wallet back on the bed,” Kunz said.

The thieves also took money from his wife’s purse.

Police said the suspects aren’t just breaking into homes and grabbing things in one particular instance. They’re believed to have broken into a vehicle and stole $200 worth of merchandise as well.

Sommer Pikutis, 27, and James Nardozi, 28, were arrested on more than 16 counts of thefts from autos and drug counts.

Both are currently in the Allegheny County Jail.

“We are not ruling them out at this time. They were apprehended with a large amount of jewelry and other items so we will be trying to look at those items and see if we can match them up with our burglaries,” Pittsburgh Police Sgt. Kevin Gasiorowski said.

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