A Naples man said two men talked their way into his condo on 2nd Avenue South on Tuesday and got away with his wife's $500 ring. It's the latest in a string of distraction burglaries in Naples, where police say two similar crimes were committed in December. In one of those cases, thieves got away with $5,000 in cash.
"Their story was, they wanted to check to see if there was any sewage in our water system," said 91-year-old Jack Thomas, who told Fox 4 that his wife let the burglars in while they posed as plumbers.
They said they had accidentally broken a nearby sewage pipe. Thomas said one of the men asked his wife to go room to room, turning on faucets.
"During which time, apparently, his accomplice came in, went to the bedroom, and removed a ring from a ring holder," Thomas said.
Lt. Seth Finman said he believes the same thieves tried the same ruse at another condo on the same day.
"The homeowner caught on, thought the individual was acting very suspicious and ran them out of their house," Finman said.
One of the thieves is described as Hispanic, about 40 years old, 5'6", wearing a black ball cap and black collared shirt. The other is also described as Hispanic, wearing a ball cap with a New York logo.
The men were spotted leaving the area in a newer model silver or grey 4-door Dodge pickup.
Finman said that if you even suspect that someone is trying to trick their way into your home, you should call police - even if they leave empty-handed.
"That gives us more intelligence for us to ultimately solve the crime," Finman said.
He also advises people to never let anyone into your home that you aren't expecting, and ask for some ID.
Finman said it's believed that the same men are involved in similar distraction burglaries in Broward and Collier Counties, and that Naples Police investigators are working with those agencies to solve the crimes.
