Burglaries on the Rise in Ridgewood

Ridgewood police are reminding citizens to take more precautions to limit the increasing number of burglaries in the village.

According to police, two Gateway Road homes on Sept. 25 were hit by thieves. Police say one resident reported computer equipment was grabbed and cash was taken from a purse in the home. The home was entered through an unlocked door, police said.

Later that day another resident on Gateway told police jewelry was missing from the home. In that case, a window was found damaged and the resident's sliding door was also found unlocked.

In response to the uptick in burglaries, police are asking residents to secure their homes where possible. 

"We would like to remind residents to secure your home including windows accessible from the ground or roofs," police wrote in a statement. "Some of these burglaries have occurred when the homeowner was present. We also recommend not leaving expensive items like jewelry and cash in areas of you home that will make them easy to find."

Police have also observed a rise in burglaries to vehicles.

"Tthe majority is into unlocked vehicles and items from loose change to laptops have been stolen," police said. "Please make sure your vehicle is locked and expensive items are not in plain sight. Garage door openers left in unsecure cars can also give a burglar access to your home."

More information on community policing initiatives for crime prevention can be found here.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.