Burglars used blunt objects to break into two Atherton homes directly across the street from each other in the last few days, and stole about $7,000 worth of items from one of the homes according to police. Given the homes' close proximity and shared method of entry by the burglars, police believe the incidents are related, said Atherton Police Cmdr. Joe Wade.

Between Friday, Sept. 13, and Monday, Sept. 16, someone broke into the homes in the 100 block of Almendral Avenue, Atherton police said in a press release.

In the first reported burglary, someone used a piece of broken concrete found on the property to smash a glass door at the back of the house, police said. They then entered several rooms in the residence, including the garage, taking several small items, leaving laptops, tablets and other items of values behind. The burglars stole gold cuff links and various watches valued at about $7,000.

Another Atherton resident reported a burglary to police on Sept. 16. Police said burglars used a concrete block to shatter a glass panel on a door to enter the house. There is no estimate on losses.

In both cases, burglar alarms were not armed, police said.

There have been 19 residential burglaries so far in 2019, compared with 26 total in 2018 (though 12 occurred in November and December of 2018).

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