San Francisco thieves are raiding residential homes for expensive jewelry, clothes and large amounts of cash, Police Chief Bill Scott told the Police Commission Wednesday.
During his report, Scott described two residential burglaries each totaling over $100,000 in losses.
"The trend being high-end, high-value merchandise is apparently being sought after," Scott said.
During a burglary on the 400 block of Gaven Street in the Portola, three people in ski masks repeatedly went in and out of the residence of an elderly couple, nabbing over $100,000 of jewelry and a "large amount" of cash before escaping in a black SUV, driven by a fourth suspect.
Police were alerted to the burglary when a witness called 911. No one was in the home at the time of the incident, Scott said.
"This was a residence of an elderly couple, and this is a trend also that's disturbing that we want to get a handle on," he added.
Another burglary took place on the 1400 block of 24th Avenue in the Taraval, where a resident returned home to find their front metal gate forced open, and more than $100,000 in cash, high-end clothing and accessories stolen.
"There was a large amount of cash—high-end clothing and accessories were taken—valuing over $100,000," Scott said.
The victim had left home around 9:45 a.m. the day of the incident and returned later that afternoon at 3:05 p.m.
A witness reported hearing a loud banging at the residence around noon and saw a car parked on the sidewalk, Scott said.
Scott said both incidents are still under investigation. Video of the Taraval incident is being reviewed by police.
Scott did not provide dates for either incident during his report, and further information about both burglaries has been requested from San Francisco Police Department by The Standard.
This new city trend of thieves going after high-end jewelry and clothing comes after Palo Alto police identified an increase of jewelry and safe burglaries from empty homes between the hours of 7 and 9 p.m. from October 2022.