Pelham Manor residents concerned after an increase of home break-ins

Pelham Manor officials said they’re increasing patrols across the area.

Julia Rosier

Sep 17, 2024, 12:34 PM

Updated 54 days ago

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Residents in Pelham Manor are concerned after a home was broken into on Grant Avenue.
Officials said this isn’t the first home to get broken into. They said they’ve received multiple reports over the last 10 days.
Jaime McLean’s home was broken into around 4:45 a.m. Monday morning. The security video from her home shows the entire break-in.
“I just want people to know to be wary and secure your homes,” McLean said. “I told my husband to just go check it out. I thought it was the kids up early and then he ran back to me and said call the police. The door was like wide open to our house, our back sliding door.”
In the security video, there were two suspect usings a crowbar to open the door. Once they got the door open, they grabbed a handbag and car keys and drove away with their car. McLean said no one was hurt, but it was a scary experience for her family.
“My first thought was obviously, run to check on the children. I didn’t know if they’d been upstairs, what had happened at that point,” she said. “A major concern of someone coming into your home when you’re sleeping is you don’t want them to come upstairs and you don’t know what they want.”
Other neighbors we talked to are also worried that their home could be next. They all said they are taking extra precautions when they’re not at home or at night.
“It makes me a little bit more concerned to make sure my doors are locked and hopefully it’s not a chronic issue,” said Pelham Manor resident Richard Ritacco.
Village officials are encouraging residents to be extra careful. They said if you have an alarm system, make sure it is working and activated when needed.
“Lock your doors, take the fobs inside, make sure your house is locked, doors are locked, windows are locked,” said Breda Bennett, Pelham Manor's deputy mayor and police commissioner.
Pelham Manor officials said they’re increasing patrols across the area.