Homeowners arrive to burglar walking up drive with boombox, wife’s jewellery and perfume in daylight robbery

The thieves left with jewellery that belonged to the homeowner's mum and nana.

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A couple - whose 19-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter were in their house during a daylight home invasion - arrived home to a burglar walking down the driveway with their JBL boombox and his wife’s belongings.

The male homeowner drove past, not thinking about the guy or his stolen goodies, but became suspicious once he saw more contents, including a second boombox, a laptop and clothing scattered across their Glen Eden, West Auckland drive yesterday afternoon.

He then backed up his vehicle to confront the boombox burglar - who took a couple of swings and punched his car.

“Then another guy with facial tattoos came at him from out of the neighbours property, so my husband did the right thing and backed off,” the female homeowner said.

The woman said the second offender’s tattoos were not proper ta moko.

“But my husband thought better of it and jumped back in his vehicle. The two jumped in a silver vehicle parked on the road.

“I arrived, and by that time, the two had taken off.”

The woman said it looks like the thieves came in the unlocked front door and only made it as far as the couple’s bedroom at the front of the house - where they have stolen jewellery that belonged to her mother and grandmother, along with her perfume.

“Our bedroom was ransacked and they emptied my jewellery boxes and perfume, which police photographed - and I want to say how quick and amazing the police were.”

She said the home invaders were were two Polynesians aged in their 20s to 30s.

“It was not just petty theft, and my husband said they appeared to be on drugs, as one was frothing at the mouth,” she said.

“Some of the jewellery was irreplaceable. We feel violated, but thankfully three people who could have been seriously hurt were not, and that’s the main thing.

“It’s not the physical stuff they took, but the emotional and mental scars - like my son, he keeps saying he’s now paranoid.

“I don’t think we were targeted, but more likely, an opportunity presented itself and these guys took it.”

Police are hopeful there may be footage of the offenders from nearby businesses who have CCTV.

“Police investigations into this burglary remain ongoing, and at this stage there is no footage available,” a police spokesperson said.

Anyone with information can contact police by calling 105 and quoting file number 230814/1942, or going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’.

Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter and news director at the Sunday News newspaper, covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and, prior to joining NZME, worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.