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"It's the same guy": Lakewood woman says home burglar targeted her and others

Martha Magaña recognizes burglar on other videos.
'It's the same guy,': Lakewood woman says home burglar targeted her and others
Posted at 9:20 AM, Oct 03, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-07 10:28:40-04

LAKEWOOD, Colo. --- A Lakewood woman's home was burglarized less than a month ago, now after comparing her surveillance video to others, she believes she's identified a serial burglar.

"That is him," said Martha Magaña, sitting at her kitchen table while watching surveillance video captured at another person's home.

Magaña's own home off of West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood was burglarized in mid-September. Surveillance video captured by her Ring doorbell camera shows a man entering through a narrowly open window, and later exiting through the sliding glass door.

Based on the video's time stamps, Magaña estimated the burglar spent nearly an hour in her home.

At one point in the video, the man appeared to be rearranging items on Magaña's window sill before leaving the property.

"The scariest part was that my daughter was home, and after surveying all the items that had gone missing ...a 6-inch steak knife was missing, and I can't even imagine what he would have done with that," she said.

Since the break-in, Magaña has continued to discover additional missing item,s like her daughter's duffle bag.

"That's my daughters duffle bag right there," said Magaña, pointing at video captured at a Boulder home break-in.

Denver7 talked to the couple in the Boulder break-in in September. They said around $3000 worth of property was stolen from their home.

"He took a high-end graphic processing laptop, a backpack, some gym clothes, some cash and a few other small electronics," said Chris Clearman, whose Boulder home was burglarized in September.

Magaña said she believes one man is responsible not only for these incidents, but anotherburglary in Denver back in August.

Denver7 reported on that case too, and Magaña recognized the thief's shoes from the family's Ring doorbell camera.

"He's moving a lot faster here, but there's the shoes, same shoes." said Magaña, while watching the surveillance video.

The burglaries are indeed a part of a growing trend in Colorado. The latest crime report from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations showed 2020 brought a 10.4% increase in property crime compared to 2019.

Magaña and others have reported their observations from the various surveillance videos and have been told by detectives that investigations are ongoing.

Denver7 will update this story when more information becomes available.