WEST COVINA, Calif. — A Southern California homeowner is worried he’s being targeted after finding a hidden camera camouflaged with fake grass on his property.
The homeowner tells our sister station, ABC7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles, he found the camera hidden in the hedges of his West Covina home on E. Cortes Street on Friday night. He said he was watering them after dark when he noticed a light coming from one of the bushes.
He investigated further, only to find a well-hidden device facing his home, covered in fake grass to blend in with the greenery. Police peeled back the facade and found a camera that was being used to monitor the comings and goings at the man’s house.
Who exactly placed the camera and what their intentions were is unknown.
This has been a growing trend — not just in West Covina, but in other areas around Southern California — where burglars place cameras in yards to keep an eye on houses and see when people leave their homes.
In the past year, a camera disguised as a flower was found in Chino Hills, and cameras camouflaged into landscaping were found in Alhambra, Santa Barbara, and Lost Hills.
Investigators have linked the use of the cameras to burglary tourism groups visiting from South America with the sole intention of committing crimes.
READ MORE | Southern California neighborhood latest to discover hidden camera planted outside home
In this case, the homeowner found the camera before his house was targeted, but he said it’s still unnerving that someone was watching.
“I didn’t realize what it was until I kicked it out, and it felt heavy, so I knew it was some sort of device, I guess,” homeowner George Nguyen said. “So yeah, that’s when I realized it, and I picked it up, and I seen the green light on it.”
West Covina police tell Eyewitness News that last month, there was another camera found in the area, facing a home. Whether the two incidents are related is under investigation. So far, no arrests have been made.
Nguyen said he told his neighbors about the incident, and now everyone is looking for potential hidden cameras on their property.
“It was really unnerving hearing about it. I went outside and started checking my area, making sure it was secure,” said neighbor Alex Beard.
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