5 homes burglarized in 11-hour span in North Bethesda

NORTH BETHESDA, Md. - Montgomery County police are looking for two people who robbed several homes in North Bethesda.

Police said at least five homes were burglarized in the area of Tilden Lane and Roseland Drive in an 11-hour span between 8 p.m. on March 14 and 7 a.m. on March 15. In some cases, families were inside their homes at the time.

In each burglary, the suspects made their way inside through unlocked doors - most of them back or side entrances.

On Thursday, Montgomery County police released surveillance video from inside one of the homes on Tilden Lane.

In the video, the two masked suspects are basically covered from head to toe and were caught on camera in night vision. One of them uses a flashlight during the burglary. They are in and out of the house in under a minute and make off with purses and wallets that were left out.

Police said the suspects found keys to a car and stole that as well during one of their crimes. The vehicle was recovered last Thursday in Prince George's County.

Rosewood Drive is a quiet street, but Tilden Lane is a busy road lined with large homes not far from the Pike and Rose shopping complex.

An au pair who lives and works in one of the victim's homes told FOX 5 the entire family had just turned in for the night when the thieves struck. They did not realize anything was missing until the morning.

"I was in shock when we noticed that someone came here and everybody was at home, especially the kids," she said.

The family's dog was at home at the time, but did not alert them that anything was wrong. A few days later, they adopted a Great Dane for security purposes.

Other neighbors said they are now installing security cameras. One family also posted notes to remind themselves to make sure all of their doors are locked after they let out their dogs out or access their backyard.

Some of the victims' purses and wallets were found tossed on the ground throughout the neighborhood without the cash that was inside them.

Even at night, the street is pretty well lit in this neighborhood so residents are shocked at how daring these suspects are.

"Walking through here, I wouldn't think this would happen here. It's busy. It looks like there is a lot of pedestrians, a lot of action and it is amazing what is happening," said Mark Shevrin. "I put the alarm on every night just for that reason. Now especially, I will start hiding my wallet and my car keys."

Anyone with information about the suspects or the burglaries is asked to call police at 240-773-6710 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A $10,000 reward is being offered in this case.