Three men believed to be part of a residential burglary ring have been arrested, Newport Beach and Irvine police announced Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Police say the group is connected to a series of residential burglaries reported in Newport Beach over the past several months, as well as a suspected burglary plot in Irvine earlier this month. Details about the Newport Beach burglaries were not immediately available.

On Jan. 10, investigators observed the men traveling from Los Angeles County to the Shady Canyon area of Irvine, where they are suspected of conspiring to burglarize a home, police said. While under surveillance, the men were seen jumping over a fence while carrying backpacks. Detectives believe their plans were disrupted before a burglary could be carried out.

The men later traveled to the nearby Turtle Rock area of Irvine, where previous burglaries had been reported, according to police. There, detectives observed the men walking into an open space, crouching in nearby bushes and then fleeing the area at a high rate of speed in a vehicle, police said.

Police believe the group is part of a broader national trend involving foreign nationals who enter the United States to commit crimes, including residential burglaries, and then leave the country, Irvine Police Department spokesman Kyle Oldoerp said. All three men arrested were from Chile. They most recently lived in Reseda and Northridge and are ages 32, 32 and 22, police said. They were all booked on suspicion of burglary.

Investigators also recovered a significant amount of stolen property, including jewelry, and are working to return the items to their rightful owners, Oldoerp said. Detectives are continuing the investigation and are seeking at least one additional suspect.

Police are asking anyone who may be a victim or witness, or who has surveillance or other video footage related to the incidents, to contact investigators. Irvine Police Detective Mike Ward can be reached at mward@cityofirvine.org, and Newport Beach Police Detective Joshua Granger can be reached at jgranger@nbpd.org.

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