A Commack neighborhood is on high alert after a series of break-ins caused cops to swarm the area with a helicopter and K-9 units Tuesday.

Police say a group of men broke into three homes within minutes. Officers pursued the suspects by air and on the ground until the driver crashed his getaway car into a fence. Police tracked the men through a wooded area, but eventually lost them.

Residents were in shock Wednesday over the crime and flurry of police activity, but they say Commack is still a safe place to live and raise children.