A trio of violent armed robbers posing as delivery men broke into a Colorado family’s home and attacked their two children in what may be a disturbing new trend, experts and police say.
The grieving parents of the children, who were not at home at the time of the June 12 break-in, saw a fake delivery man enter the house via Ring doorbell.
According to a release from the Aurora Police Department, the men are accused of attacking a babysitter and assaulting two children, a 14-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
“This is an old crime with a new twist,” said retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Criminals are always looking for new ways to get into homes. Law enforcement should be very concerned that this pattern is expanding.”
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Still images from a Colorado home invasion show a robber disguised as a delivery man and a six-year-old boy crying in the aftermath. (KDVR)
Giacalone said a tactic criminals used in the past was to try to break into homes by posing as utility workers, but he added that this method is no longer effective when the workers wear distinctive uniforms and carry identification.
The horrific home invasion, which took place about 10 miles from downtown Denver, Colorado, is the latest in a series of robberies involving fake delivery drivers.
The incident happened just after 8:30 p.m., and footage shows one of the suspects wearing a bright orange vest approaching the door carrying a box. Acquired by KDVR.
“The suspects were wearing construction vests and claimed to be there to deliver a package. The suspects waited with the package for the homeowner to open the door,” the Aurora Police Department said. “Once the resident opened the door, the suspects forced their way in and robbed the family.”
Watch the video of armed robbers storming into a Colorado home:
One of the people inside the house opened the door slightly and a man in a vest quickly barged in.
He then began yelling in Spanish at his two accomplices that they had made it in.
Ring camera footage showed one of the men breaking into the home with what appeared to be a gun in his hand, while the other suspect got out of a car idling outside to join them.
The girl was inappropriately touched and had jewelry and cash stolen during the robbery, which lasted about a minute, her mother told KDVR.
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The parents of two Colorado children were assaulted in a terrifying home invasion on June 12. The boy was left sobbing and calling for his mother. (KDVR)
The babysitter and the boy were also thrown to the ground during the break-in.
The homeowner spotted the intruder on his Ring camera and called police.
The children’s mother said her son, who was seen crying after police arrived, had been badly traumatised by the incident.
The mother said she was extremely frightened by the attack and feared it would cause long-term damage to her children.
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A Colorado home was targeted by armed robbers posing as delivery men. (KDVR)
Police departments across the country have warned homeowners to be careful when opening their doors to strangers following a spate of home invasions.
Last year in Indiana, a robber posing as a DoorDash driver was killed when the homeowner pulled out a gun and shot the intruder. FOX59 reported.
In November, two armed robbers posing as delivery men broke into a New York City home and stole $70,000 worth of valuables, after binding the victims with duct tape, according to the NYPD.
Last year, a fake delivery man wearing an orange fluorescent vest and clutching a manila envelope tried to break into a Connecticut home with a gun, but the homeowner shoved him away and slammed the door.
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A Ring camera captured an armed man posing as a delivery man in Connecticut having an attempted robbery thwarted when a homeowner shoved him through their front door and slammed the door in the face. (East Haven Police Department/Local News X/TMX)
Giacalone said the most important precaution is to check the identity of the delivery person to “prevent something terrible from happening to your family.”
“If someone knocks on your door and says they need to sign for a package, ask to see their ID through a window, peephole or door camera,” he suggested.
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He added that homeowners should look out their windows to see if there are UPS or Amazon trucks parked nearby.
Fox News Digital’s Emmett Jones contributed to this report.
