40 burglaries in Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - It's a shocking number.  40 homes in one Newport News neighborhood, burglarized since January.  Police say six of the burglaries happened in the last month.

It's all happening in the Denbigh area of Newport News off of Old Courthouse Way.  Police say the burglaries happen during the day.

Detectives say the burglars know when residents leave for work, or even the store, and that's when they make their move.

Teresa Parker lives just yards from a family whose home was recently broken into.

"It's kind of scary," says Parker.

She doesn't want hers to be next.

"Me and my husband work very hard and life now everyday is a struggle and for someone to take it from you, it's even rougher."

40 burglaries in 11 months in the Denbigh Neighborhood.

"What it is that's really troubling is just the amount, how many are occurring in such a short period of time," says Newport News Detective R.C. Cupp.

Cupp says the suspects are teenagers and he knows the break-ins happen during the day.  He even knows possible escape routes along a woodline and through holes along fences boarding the neighborhood.

Cupp tells WAVY.com innocent conversations could spark the crimes.

"The children talk on the bus. The children tell their friends what games they just got, what new toys they got, things of that nature...They'll know somebody is military and they have guns, so they want guns and they'll break into the military house," says Cupp.

You don't have to go far to find nervous neighbors living along Old Courthouse Way.

"My friend's house got broken into and she had come home and found people running out of her house....and they stole TVs, game systems and things like that," says Taquan Bynum.

Detectives say they need your help to make sure your home isn't next.

If you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, call the Newport News Non-emergency number at 247-2500.

If you have any information about these burglaries, call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK U UP.