This browser does not support the Video element.
2 charged in New Castle County string of residential burglaries
Two men have been charged in a series of New Castle County residential burglaries where victims were reportedly chosen by ethnicity.
NEW CASTLE, Del. - Police in New Castle County arrested two men they say are behind a string of home burglaries. Police say the men chose their victims because of their ethnicity.
They say crimes similar to these have been reported to multiple police agencies from outside the state, including as far south as Georgia.
Watches, jewelry, designer bags and sneakers. New Castle County Police laid out all the items investigators recovered after they arrested two men for multiple home burglaries.
Police say they believe the men specifically targeted homeowners because of their ethnicity.
"Two were of Chinese descent, one was Pakistani, one was Vietnamese and one family was from India," Master Corporal Michel Eckerd, with the New Castle County Police, stated.
Police say the burglaries started back in late January, affecting multiple neighborhoods as recent as last week.
On Friday, police say they were able to identify a vehicle from at least one of the crime scenes and it led them to 43-year-old Jorge Ibarguen and 29-year-old Jaime Renteria-Renteria.
Police say Ibarguen was arrested while getting into the car and Renteria-Renteria at his apartment. A search warrant there, police say, led them to the stolen items.
"These were unoccupied residential burglaries. So, during the day when victims were at work, they would enter and usually ransacking was involved," Master Corporal Eckerd explained.
Police say they are still looking for the owners of some of the items. They say some victims are hesitant to come forward because of language and cultural barriers.
New Castle County Police say they have 24-hour language lines for translation and want people to know they can come forward with information.
___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APP
SUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter