Neighbors in Plainview are on high alert following a series of home and vehicle break-ins.

One woman says she was traumatized after thieves broke through a back window Saturday evening and ransacked her home, stealing cash, jewelry and family heirlooms.

“I just feel jumpy, my privacy was invaded,” the woman says. “They were in my bedroom.”

John Ha also had his vehicle broken into Sunday evening. The thieves took off with money, credit cards and other valuables.

“It’s ridiculous, it’s my driveway,” Ha says. “Sometimes you forget to lock your car or whatever, but it’s your property. It’s supposed to be safe.”

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says this is the time of the year when thieves typically come out.

He says thieves tend to ring the doorbell first and if nobody answers, they break in through the back.

Ryder says the burglars could be connected to a Chilean crime ring that repeatedly struck in early 2020.

“The pattern is similar,” Ryder says. “But these are not the high-end houses. They were hitting houses on the North, South Shore areas, walking in, stealing $1 million in jewelry.”

Police urge residents to turn some light on inside and outside the home to ward off thieves.

If you see people knocking on doors or if someone rings doorbells unexpectedly, they can call police right away.