DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A woman living near Ann Arbor Trail in Dearborn Heights returned home one morning after dropping off her children to school only to find an unfamiliar car parked in her driveway. The woman, Randa Mojhni, entered through the backyard, where she found her back door opened with her flat screen TV, laptop, and camera sitting near the door.

In the house was what she described as a black male, who appeared to be in his 30’s and about 6 feet tall. According to Mojhni, she confronted the intruder and told him to leave. The man quickly fled the scene and Dearborn Heights police were called over to the house.

The incident marks just the latest in a string of home invasions in the city of Dearborn Heights over the past few weeks. According to police, the robberies have not been random. Police say the thieves are watching residents every move before they break in, memorizing their daily routines and waiting for the residents to leave their homes before they break in.

Other break-ins in the city included home invasions on the block of 400 block of John Daily Road, where a resident went for a walk and returned a half hour later only to find that their home had been invaded through the garage side door. On the 6600 block of Rockdale, another resident had left her home, noticing that a gray sedan with two men in it had been driving by slowly. When she returned home a half hour later, a bedroom window was broken into and jewelry, a TV and other electronic had been stolen.  

Police urge residents to be aware of any vehicles cruising in neighborhoods or stopped, possibly watching houses where people are leaving. The vehicles should be reported immediately to police at 911 or the Dearborn Heights Police Department at 313-277-6770.

The home invasions in Dearborn Heights have already outnumbered last years count. It’s not the only city to see a spike in Burglaries either. According to the FBI, burglaries are up in the city of Dearborn as well, where there were 612 cases of burglaries in 2011 compared to only 448 from the year prior.