Detectives Investigating Series of Burglaries Involving Garage Door Openers

Detectives around Fairfax County are investigating four burglaries of occupied homes in the last two days. The crimes appear to be connected. Around 2 a.m. yesterday, officers responded to two homes in the Fair Oaks District within walking distance of one another after residents were awakened by noises in the middle of the night. This morning, officers from the Reston District received two additional calls reporting similar instances.

The first incident was in the 3700 block of Valley Oaks Drive in Fairfax where the homeowner heard footsteps and went to investigate. He found a man standing in his kitchen. The homeowner confronted him and the suspect then quickly left with the victim’s wallet. Around the same time, a second call came in from the 12700 block of Hunt Manor Court. In this case, homeowners were awakened by the sound of their garage door chime. They did a walk-through of the home, but did not see anyone.

In both cases, further investigation revealed a garage door opener had been stolen from each victim’s unlocked car. No injuries were reported.

This morning’s cases in the Reston District were also close to one another – one in the 12100 block of Abington Hall Place around 2 a.m., and the other in the 12000 block of Edgemere Circle shortly before 3 a.m. In the first incident, a woman heard sounds from the kitchen area of her home and went to investigate. She saw a man standing in the kitchen. He ran off when confronted. The victim’s purse and wallet were taken. In the second incident, a resident was awakened by his pets. He saw a man standing in the home attempting to steal items. When confronted, the suspect dropped most of the items and left with the victim’s wallet. The wallet was later found by someone in the neighborhood and turned into police. An investigation determined garage openers were also missing from these victims’ unlocked cars. No injuries were reported in either case.

In the three cases where the suspect was seen inside a home, he was described as a black man in his late teens to early 20s and around 6 feet tall. He was described as slender and possibly weighing between 175 and 200 pounds.

Anyone with information about any of these burglaries is asked to call us at 703-691-2131.  You can also submit a tip anonymously through Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, or electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). Text STOP to 274637 to cancel. Text HELP to 274637 for help. Message and data rates may apply. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest.

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