Two burglars smashed through a sliding glass door and ransacked a home in the Broadmoor Sea View Community of Newport Beach Wednesday evening, and police are using the opportunity to provide tips for keeping your home safe.

The burglars used a hillside behind the home in the 1900 block of Yacht Colonia to get into the backyard, where they smashed the sliding glass door at about 9 p.m., the Newport Beach Police Department said in a news release.

Once inside, the burglars “rummaged through drawers in the master bedroom before fleeing the scene,” police said.

The burglary was reported the next morning, though what was taken is “unknown at this time.”

The two burglars wore dark clothing, hoodies and masks, and one of them had a backpack.

Police offered several tips for keeping your home and neighborhood safe:

  • Always lock your windows and doors when you go out, even if for only a few minutes. Second-story windows and doors should be secured as if they were on the first story.
  • Use timers on indoor lamps to give the appearance that you are home. If you’re going out for the evening, leave a television or a radio on in the home. 
  • If your home is equipped with an alarm, always activate it, even if you’re only going out for a short walk.
  • Always keep your front and rear porch lights on from dusk to dawn and use motion detector lighting along the sides of your home or areas with little foot traffic.
  • If you return home and find your door locked and you are certain that you left it unlocked, don’t go inside; instead call 911 immediately. Burglars often lock this door to slow down a victim, allowing the burglar extra time to get out of the home before the resident enters.
  • When you leave on vacation, remember to call the Police Department for a Vacation Check at 949-644-3681. Also, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your newspaper and mail while you are away.
  • If you see suspicious activity within your neighborhood (especially at a home where you know your neighbors are on vacation, have gone out for the evening, or their home is for sale), please call the Newport Beach Police Department immediately at 949-644-3717.