Whittier detectives find fake-leaf camera outside burgled home: ‘Burglars may use concealed cameras or other surveillance methods’

A Southern California homeowner was targeted in a break-in after someone may have cased the residence from bushes across the street, police said.

Authorities have not identified the resident whose house was burglarized at the dead end off Hadley Street into the hills, Whittier police said.

Whittier detectives investigating the burglary discovered a concealed camera planted across the street from the residence, police said.

The camera had been tucked into the landscaping opposite the burglarized property, according to the Whittier Police Department.

The equipment was hidden among artificial leaves and branches, according to a photograph released by the Whittier Police Department.

The artificial greenery provided the snooping device with a convincing disguise, police said.

The device was not a flimsy gadget relying on an existing connection, police said. It was powered by “a large battery that was connected the camera with its own hotspot,” the Whittier Police Department said.

“Our detectives recently located a camera hidden in a bush across the street from a home that had been burglarized,” the department wrote on social media.

“Burglars may use concealed cameras or other surveillance methods to watch homes and identify crime opportunities,” the department wrote.

Investigators are now warning that there may be more victims, police said.

Detectives found the camera at the dead end off Hadley Street into the hills while working the burglary investigation, police said.

Officers located the hidden equipment across from the home, police said. However, investigators have not determined who planted it or how long the camera had been there, according to the department.

Officers are telling residents to get off the couch and take a lap around their property, police said.

Residents are advised to check their bushes and inspect their landscaping, police said. If a spot looks like a good place to hide a camera, homeowners should give it a second look, according to the department.

Authorities also recommend keeping trees and bushes trimmed, police said.

Officials urge residents to secure all doors, windows and gates, according to the department.

The agency also recommended utilizing exterior lighting, security cameras, and alarms installed throughout the home, police said.

In June, police in Brea issued a similar warning after a surveillance device was found concealed in neighborhood bushes, raising concerns that residents could be watched without knowing it.

The burglary investigation remains ongoing, Whittier police said.