On a spring night in Fort Worth, a handful of masked young men moved through two neighborhoods nine miles apart, testing front and back doors that families trusted to hold. It is the kind of event that reminds a community how thin the line is between an ordinary night and a frightening one, and how much depends now on neighbors looking carefully at what their own cameras recorded. Police are searching for the faces, the vehicle, and the pattern behind it, hoping that the smallest detail will draw the story to a close.
Fort Worth Police Seek Public Help Identifying Armed Men in Attempted Home Break-Ins
Residents of the targeted homes, including a family with children, were terrorized by the attempted break-ins, though no one was physically harmed.
Two men with rifles tried to kick in a front door
Mark
Why does this story matter if nobody was hurt and nothing was taken?
Mimi
Because the men were carrying rifles and trying to kick in doors at night. Victor Vasquez said his family jumped at every noise for two nights afterward.
Luke
Right, but let's keep the facts straight. The rifles are on video from the Thornhill Drive house. The Schwartz Avenue footage shows three men, and the story doesn't say they were armed.
Mark
And the two attempts were about 30 minutes apart?
Mimi
Yes, and nine miles apart. Detectives connected them during the investigation, and Vasquez said that distance is what struck him.
Luke
Worth noting that the link is police's conclusion. The source says they believe it was the same group, but it doesn't lay out what ties the two together.
Mark
What are they asking for?
Mimi
Footage. A car, a face, a tattoo, anything. Vasquez says there is video police haven't released.
Luke
Also unknown is how many men and how many homes. Police say three or four suspects and possibly more houses, but that's a possibility, not a count.
Mark
So what do we actually know?
Mimi
Two attempts, no injuries, nothing stolen, two suspects on camera, and an open call to neighbors.
Il Polso
- Two masked men with rifles tried to kick in a front door on Thornhill Drive before fleeing when one of them shouted "police."
- Thabout thirty minutes later, a similar attempt on Schwartz Avenue, nine miles away, sent a family scrambling in the dark.
- Investigators believe three or four men may be responsible, and they may have approached more homes than the two already known.
- Police are combing through doorbell and security footage from residents in both neighborhoods, hunting for a vehicle or any identifying detail.
- No one was hurt and nothing was stolen, yet families are still jumping at every sound, and the case remains open with the suspects unidentified.
On a spring night in Fort Worth, a handful of masked young men moved through two neighborhoods nine miles apart, testing front and back doors that families trusted to hold. It is the kind of event that reminds a community how thin the line is between an ordinary night and a frightening one, and how much depends now on neighbors looking carefully at what their own cameras recorded. Police are searching for the faces, the vehicle, and the pattern behind it, hoping that the smallest detail will draw the story to a close.
Fort Worth police are asking residents to dig back through their doorbell and security camera footage, hoping one small detail will identify a group of young men who tried to force their way into at least two homes in the past couple of weeks.
The clearest evidence comes from a house on Thornhill Drive, where video shows two men with rifles trying to kick in a front door. One of them yelled "police," and seconds later the pair ran. The men were masked, and investigators believe three or four people may have been involved, possibly targeting more homes than the two already known.
At about 2:45 a.m. on April 27, a similar attempt unfolded on Schwartz Avenue. Victor Vasquez, whose brother was sleeping in the living room, heard someone working at the door latch. He armed himself and opened the door, but no one was there. His Ring camera showed three men, one with a tattoo on his neck, knocking on the back door before moving toward the side of the house. Police later shared part of that video publicly.
Detectives found that the same group appears to have hit Thornhill Drive about thirty minutes earlier, nine miles away. Vasquez said the distance unsettled him most. Nobody was hurt and nothing was taken, but the fear lingered. His family startled at every noise for days, and neighbor Gloria Martinez worried for her grandchildren. Ten-year-old John-Robert Tenorio admitted he feared what could happen if someone got inside.
Officer Tracy Carter says investigators are still looking for more footage, especially anything showing a car. For now, two suspects are on camera and many questions remain: how many men were involved, how many homes they approached, and who they are.
Fort Worth police are asking residents to go back through their doorbell and security camera footage, hoping that one small detail will help identify a group of young men who tried to force their way into at least two homes a little over a week ago.
The best evidence so far is video from one of the houses. It shows two men with rifles trying to kick in a front door. According to the video, one of them yelled "police," and seconds later the two ran off. Investigators say the men on that recording were masked. Police believe three or four suspects may have been involved, and that they may have gone after more homes than the two already known.
The second attempt happened just before 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at the Schwartz Avenue home of Victor Vasquez. He said his brother was sleeping in the living room when he heard someone working at the door latch. Vasquez got up, armed himself and opened the door, but no one was there. He then went back and played the video from his Ring camera.
The footage showed three men, one with a tattoo on the left side of his neck. One of them knocked on the back door and then walked toward the side of the house. Vasquez called police, who later posted part of the Ring video on social media. He said there is more footage that they did not release.
During the investigation, detectives learned that the same group appears to have hit another home about 30 minutes earlier, on Thornhill Drive, nine miles to the south. That is the house where the two armed men were recorded trying to kick in the door. Vasquez said the distance between the two addresses is what unsettled him most. "I really am concerned that these guys are that brazen that they went from one neighborhood to another," he said after watching the video.
No one was hurt and nothing was taken, according to Officer Tracy Carter. The effects on neighbors have still been real. Vasquez said that for about two nights, he and his family jumped up at every noise. Gloria Martinez, who lives a few houses away, said the video made her worry about her grandchildren. "It's getting scary over here," she said. Ten-year-old John-Robert Tenorio said that if one of those people could break in, he feared they could go to his room and do something.
Carter said investigators are still looking for more video, especially anything showing a car or another detail that could be used to identify the men. "We need to find out and see if there's other footage out there, a car, or something that we can identify to get these predators off the street," he said.
For now, police have two suspects on camera and a list of unanswered questions: how many men were involved, how many homes they approached, and who they are. Residents in both neighborhoods are being asked to check their cameras and send in anything that might help.
Citazioni salienti
We need to find out and see if there's other footage out there, a car, or something that we can identify to get these predators off the street.— Officer Tracy Carter, Fort Worth police
I really am concerned that these guys are that brazen that they went from one neighborhood to another.— Victor Vasquez, Schwartz Avenue resident
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