Campbell police release video of teens suspected in home burglaries

CAMPBELL, Calif. (KGO) -- Police in the South Bay are looking for a crew of teenagers who they say burglarized a pair of homes in the same neighborhood. They hope newly released surveillance video will help.

In the video, taken at around 10 a.m. on Oct. 30, several teenagers can be seen casually walking behind each other in a neighborhood off of Campbell Avenue and Hamilton Avenue. Police say they were up to no good.

Vince Cortez lives in the neighborhood and said his wife saw some of the teens at a neighbor's house.

"My wife was walking the dog, these four young men came briskly out of the backyard and through the gate," he said. "She was startled, and one guy said (they were) supposed to meet a friend here and came up with some cock-and-bull story. It just didn't make sense."

Cortez immediately reported it to police. Two homes had been burglarized and ransacked.

"They were saying they kicked the door down, took a bunch of laptops and jewelry," said Vince Cortinas, another neighbor who owns cameras that captured the teens. "I feel bad because they just recently moved into the neighborhood, and something like that happens, you feel bad for the people,"

Police say the security video shows one of the teens holding a bag, which likely had the stolen goods inside. It is the same bag the victim reported missing from their home.

"The two homes next to each other, combined with the number of suspects, indicates to us this was not a professional burglary crew, but some kids trying to get an easy score,' said Capt. Gary Berg with the Campbell Police Department.

Investigators say the quiet neighborhood near downtown is not known for burglaries. It also appears the homes were chosen randomly.

Cortez said the recent crime is prompting him to make changes.

"It's raised my concern for safety," he said, "so we're going to get surveillance system and maybe an alarm system for the house, which we thought we'd never have to do that."

Police say the quality of the video is so good that they feel fairly confident someone will recognize the teens. You can see the full length of the video here.

If you recognize any of the suspects, please call Campbell police at (408) 866-2101 or the Investigations Unit at (408) 871-5190.