Burglars were caught on camera breaking into Indianapolis-area homes while families were away for the July 4 holiday

INDIANAPOLIS — Two different police departments are investigating a burglar who broke into multiple homes over the Christmas weekend. Home surveillance systems caught the duo breaking into homes while families were away for the Fourth of July.

One of the burglaries happened shortly before 10 a.m. in southeast Indy.

Surveillance cameras captured a man in a beige uniform arriving at the home and knocking on the door several times. When he realized no one was home, he appeared to call his accomplice.

After entering the home, cameras caught them rummaging through the homeowner’s belongings, then running to their car and speeding away. The victim told FOX59 and CBS that the burglars made off with jewelry and cash.

The burglars are believed to have then moved to the Stone Ridge neighborhood, just outside Greenfield.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and neighbors said the couple knocked on four doors, but all of the people were home.

The burglars then reached a fifth house, where the family was on vacation. The owner asked to remain anonymous.

“It was a feeling of helplessness,” she said. “I was also very shocked because we lived here, we built where we live and we always enjoyed the peace of our home in this neighborhood.”

She and her family were alerted to the incident by their alarm company. The family watched as the burglars entered their home.

“We felt very vulnerable,” she said. “We felt very vulnerable and helpless because we were far away from home and we couldn’t rush home.”

The alarm company called the police, but the burglars were quick. The homeowner said the burglars spent about five or six minutes inside grabbing whatever they could.

“It was a huge loss for our family,” she said. “It wasn’t just a financial loss. There were sentimental things that were lost in that situation.”

With summer in full swing and people out of town on vacation, IMPD said burglars may see this as an opportunity to strike.

“We’re asking homeowners to be vigilant,” said William Young of IMPD. “That means if you have camera footage, use the alarm system. You can even alert your neighbors that you may not be home, that way they can get your mail or keep an eye on you.”

Detectives working on these cases are hoping that someone will recognize the crooks and report them.

Both IMPD and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office are investigating as the burglaries occurred in each of their respective jurisdictions.

Anyone with information about the burglary in Hancock County is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (317) 477-1199.

If you know anything about the Indianapolis incident, you can contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.