Home invasion in Rancho Bernardo

Police need the public’s help in identifying three males who burglarized a Rancho Bernardo home in the early hours of Friday morning.

Lt. Todd Griffin with San Diego Police Department’s Robbery Unit said the men entered the home on the 11400 block of Aliento Court around 2 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5 through a side garage door that had been left unlocked while the residents slept.

The average-height men (estimated at around 5-foot 8-inches) were dressed in dark pants, dark hoodies and a bandana or other cloth covering their faces, he said. One of the suspects had a pistol.

The suspects tied up the home’s two occupants with shoelaces before taking an undisclosed amount of money and jewelry, according to Griffin. The victims, both in their late 40s, were able to get free after the men left and called for help at 3:42 a.m. Neither was hurt.

Griffin said it is too early for police to conclusively connect the burglary in Rancho Bernardo’s Westwood neighborhood with a similar early morning burglary by three men of an occupied home in the 10700 block of Passerine Way in Sorrento Valley on Jan. 31. In both cases the suspects entered via a side door with no signs of forced entry.

“We’re exploring the possibility that they are connected, but it is too early to tell,” he said on Friday afternoon. “We’re still processing the evidence, like fingerprints and DNA. At this point we think that maybe they are connected because they are very similar — same time of day and getting in through an unlocked door.”

Griffin said police would like Rancho Bernardo residents who have surveillance cameras at their homes to review their footage, dating back to Jan. 30, to see if anyone suspicious in the neighborhood was recorded.

“See if there is a suspicious figure walking by your house or car,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call SDPD’s Robbery Unit at 619-531-2299 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

He said there is no indication at this time that Friday morning’s burglary is connected to any of the other residential robberies recently reported in Rancho Bernardo.

In the meantime, Griffin said police would like to remind people again about the importance of locking their doors and windows, and turning on their outside lights.

Rancho Bernardo Community Council’s Public Safety Committee will have police speak about protecting oneself and property at its 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9 meeting. It will be in The Remington Club I’s second-floor multi-purpose room, 16925 Hierba Drive in Rancho Bernardo. Parking is available behind Vons.

Also speaking at the meeting will be Neighborhood Watch representatives, discussing how they are revamping the program and how residents can get involved. For questions, send an email to RBCommCouncil@aol.com.