Police say the busy burglars are breaking into homes looking for cash, jewelry, and even Christmas gifts.
Robert and Roberta Glick surprised the burglars in the act of ransacking their Syosset home as they checked out their kicked-in front door as the bad guys were running out the back.
They took the Glick's watches, jewelry, and expensive cameras.
"It's a personal affront and you feel like you've been assaulted, physically almost," Robert said.
"Who do you think you are that you should be entitled to walk into my house and to do this?" Roberta said.
Syosset is known for its peaceful, prosperous neighborhoods and it is also a juicy target for a band of thieves.
Since November 30th, 20 homes have been targeted in Syosset, Plainview and Bethpage.
If police have any suspects, they aren't saying they won't even say officially the cases are related. But right around the corner from the Glick's, Koko Ahmed also surprised the burglars in the act.
She and her daughter pulled up to the house to find the front door wide open and saw strangers moving around inside.
"I was trying to dial 911, I couldn't dial 911. My hand was just shaking. My daughter was like crying and screaming," Ahmed said.
They helped themselves to $60,000 worth of jewelry and electronics, and escaped before cops could arrive.
Now, the family has invested heavily in a new security system with nearly two dozen cameras around the house. But still, her teenaged kids are petrified.
"After that incident I feel like it's not my home. My kids are saying they feel safer on the street than home," Ahmed said.
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