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Police Seek Suspects Stealing Garage Door Openers To Break Into Homes

NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Police in Westmoreland County are looking for suspects who they say are stealing garage door openers out of vehicles in the middle of the night and using them to break into homes.

According to North Huntingdon Police, several incidents have been reported over the past two days and they are happening around 4 a.m.

"Over the last days, we've seen it taken to the next level where they're actually going into the homes," said Sgt. Robert Rizzo, of North Huntingdon Police.

Investigators say the suspects are getting into the parked vehicles by breaking the windows. The vehicle is then ransacked and the garage door remote is stolen.

The suspect or suspects open the garage and enter the homes.

Police say purses, wallets, electronics, and even vehicles and Christmas gifts have been stolen.

"Went inside, took Christmas gifts, electronics, pretty much anything they could get their hands on," Sgt. Rizzo said. "In two cases, they [the residents] were upstairs sleeping."

State police describe a stolen vehicle as a gray 2008 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck with the license plate YXX9848. On the front bumper, there is a gold plate with black "P" that is the Pittsburgh Pirates logo.

The truck was taken from Austin Street.

One woman who lives in the neighborhood where the thefts are happening said the thieves didn't get into her home, but her family's cars were ransacked. She didn't want to be identified.

"I looked in my hatch and all the gifts were stolen. They took all the Christmas gifts," she said.

She said her husband had items stolen from his vehicle, too.

"He had credit cards and money stolen from his van," she added.

The big worry now is - who the next victim is. The woman we spoke to says she's just happy the thieves just got into the cars and not their home.

"Extremely lucky," she said. "I have two young kids, and that would be awful."

Authorities are advising township residents to remove their valuables and garage door openers from parked cars and to lock their vehicles.

Anyone with information on the thefts is being asked to call North Huntingdon Township Police at 724-863-8800 of State Police are 724-832-3288.

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