The scary way burglars are breaking into NJ homes

🚨 Burglars are using a simple way to break into homes in NJ

🚨 Police are issuing warnings about aggressive new tactics

🚨 Here is how to protect your home and family

Police are again warning residents in New Jersey to secure their homes and vehicles amidst a new wave of burglaries and thefts.

Increasingly aggressive, burglars are breaking into homes to look for key fobs so they can steal your car.

Most often, they are gaining easy access by using your garage door opener.

How do you stop this from happening to you?

Law Enforcement and security experts have several recommendations to victim proof your vehicle and garage.

The protections involve layers of security aimed not just at securing your home. Even if a criminal tries to break in, if you make it hard for them they will often give up and look for an easier target.

Securing your garage

Just because the garage door is down, doesn’t mean it is secure.

This is especially true if you have an older home or older garage door.

Many older models have remotes that use a single signal or what’s known as a dip switch links. These can be easier to clone.

Newer garage doors use a rolling code that can’t be easily cloned.

The six-second garage break-in

A scary trend has burglars able to bust into your garage in about six seconds.

A wire coat hanger is inserted through the top panel of your garage door, looping around the hanging door release cord. A quick pull and the door is released for easy opening.

To prevent this, don’t leave the cord hanging down. You can also purchase garage door shields that prevent access.

The keypad

Have you ever given out the code to open your garage door? Are you certain?

Security experts recommend changing the code often.

They also recommend periodically cleaning your keypad to remove finger oils, dust and dirt. Burglars can sometimes figure out your code by the marks on the numbered buttons.

Other security measures

Most doors have a locking bar that latches into the rails to prevent the door from being opened.

There are also commercial rail locks available for added security.

A bottom brace can also be installed to prevent the bottom panel of the door from being kicked open.

Garage entry door

If you have an entry door from the outside into your garage, make sure that door is secure.

These doors are often on the side of the house, and out of direct view. They should be lighted and include a locking handle and a secure deadbolt.

The door from your garage into the home should also be secure. Many of these doors are similar to interior doors, but security experts recommend these doors should be treated as an exterior door.

That means a door made of steel or other dense material with locking handle and a heavy deadbolt.

It starts with your car

Of course, none of these methods of protection are likely to be as effective if a burglar or thief can just push a button and open your garage door.

Leaving your garage door opener in an unlocked vehicle is the quickest way to give burglars access to your home.

This is how homes were broken into during a series of recent robberies in Linwood.

Even if you have remembered to take your key fob inside, an unlocked car is an invitation to search for a garage door opener that can give a thief access to your home to search for your key fob and steal your car.

Many newer vehicles have the garage door opener built into vehicle’s technology, allowing even easier access if the car is left unlocked.

Police are repeatedly warning to LOCK YOUR CAR.

More information

I recently hosted a New Jersey 101.5 Town Hall on victim proofing your life where we discussed more ways to protect your home and family.

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