In Encino, residents on edge as rash of burglaries continues
In Encino, residents on edge as rash of burglaries continues
A rash of recent burglaries in Encino in July, including a home invasion that ended in a double homicide, a burglary at a former “Real Housewives” cast member’s home and a daytime robbery, have some residents unnerved in the Los Angeles suburb.
On July 14, the bodies of “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas Deluca were found during a welfare check at their Encino home at the 4700 block of White Oak Avenue. The couple, both 70, were killed during a home invasion on July 10, with their own gun.
On July 21, ex-”Real Housewife” Teddi Mellencamp’s Encino home was targeted in an attempted burglary just after 10 p.m. On security footage shared by Mellencamp’s husband on Instagram, masked men can be seen hopping over two fences to gain access to the home, which they attempted to burglarize. Another burglary had been reported in Encino ten minutes before law enforcement responded to Mellencamp’s residence.
On July 24, a burglary was reported just before 1 p.m. In the middle of the day, masked men burglarized a home on Woodvale Avenue before fleeing with boxes in a black Mercedes.
“A lot of people are feeling targeted in Encino and in fact, it’s probably because we are being targeted. And so we are demanding from the city to get more resources deployed and have more LAPD protection in Encino,” said Roy Nwaisser, public safety chair of the Encino Neighborhood Council.
Kaye had become known to the Encino Neighborhood Council, a group focused on community issues and connection, when she had reached out a few months before her death to see if the group could assist her with issues she was having with a “party house” next door. The president of the council, Josh Sautter, says each member of the council had gotten to know the “charming” and “easy to connect with” Kaye, who had expressed her gratitude to the council for helping her with the noise and nuisance of the house next door.
The council’s recent connection to Kaye was part of the motivation to hold a public safety meeting on July 21, which was attended by law enforcement and Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s connected at all, but the reason we decided to do this town hall was because we really felt connected with her,” Sautter said.
At the meeting, attended by around 400 residents, many of whom could be seen taking notes as Hochman and police leadership spoke, updates about the investigation were given, crime prevention efforts were discussed and neighbors spoke with one another and law enforcement about the worries brought on by the killings and burglaries.
As for the community reaction to the meeting, many were relieved to have law enforcement taking the home invasions seriously and candidly updating the community about investigations. But some were upset that it took the recent violence to have a discussion about burglary in the community, according to neighborhood council members.
“I think it runs the gamut. I think we have people that are happy that the DA came and we had a chief and captain at our meeting talking to us being real with us, because a lot of times when we talk to the LAPD, they are not always being real with us. They just tell us that crime numbers are down and make us feel like we should be happy even though we have serious concerns. But I think people are glad to see that there has been a response,” he said.
On July 21, when the safety meeting was held, was the same night break-ins occurred at Mellencamp’s home and another Encino residence.
“It did not help however that the very same night as our meeting we had two more break-ins and today this afternoon even with all these extra resources there was yet another break-in in Encino. So while we are glad that we are getting some attention and some extra resources, it seems like there’s still a long way to go,” Nwaisser said.
Encino residents have long been concerned about burglaries, but the home invasion and killing of Kaye and Deluca has increased concern.
“People are always on edge in Encino. It is like a never-ending barrage of break-ins. And the fact that one culminated in a double murder of residents inside of their home is completely tragic and it is absolutely a concern to every person who lives in Encino. Nobody has the attitude of well, it’s just a summer spike, It will get back to normal in a few weeks. And even the previous rate of burglary, which was lower, is unacceptable as well,” he said.
Strings of burglaries have been an issue in the San Fernando Valley previously, with organized crews arrested in past years. It is currently unknown if one or multiple of the recent Encino break-ins may be connected to one another, or any particular group. As for why Encino is targeted, the neighborhood council has heard a few potential contributing factors.
“We’re told a number of things. One is that it is considered an affluent neighborhood. We have a lot of celebrities and athletes that live in Encino,” Nwaisser said. “Encino also has a lot of escape routes very close to homes, whether that’s on Ventura Boulevard or Sepulveda, Hayvenhurst, the 405, the 101. So it makes it easier for burglars to make a quick getaway. It’s all of those things combined to make Encino a target.”
In response to the burglaries and killing of Kaye and Deluca, the Los Angeles Police Department is enhancing “crime suppression strategies in Encino,” increasing the visibility of patrols in the area, engaging with the community by having officers conduct foot beats, flying helicopters over the area and using license plate recognition tools. The LAPD’s West Valley Division detectives are investigating organized burglary crews in the area, along with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Burglary/Robbery Taskforce and the LAPD’s Metropolitan and Commercial Crimes Divisions.
“We are listening to the community, acting on every lead, and using every tool available to ensure Encino remains a safe place to live, work, and raise a family,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement.
Residential burglary was, on average, down 19% in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to a study across the nation by the Council on Criminal Justice.
While statistics show that crimes, including burglaries, are down, that does not do much to assuage the fears of Encino residents when they are constantly seeing home invasions reported close to their homes so frequently.
“These statistics, it’s nice to know that there were fewer burglaries at this time this year than there were at this time last year, but it really does not mean anything to the people who are being burglarized, whose homes are being broken into. These statistics do not capture the fear and the concern,” Nwaisser said.
Crime statistics also do not capture some of the daily happenings that may not lead to crimes or police reports, but nevertheless unnerve residents, Nwaisser notes. Seeing cars with tinted windows and no license plates driving slowly down a street, or an unfamiliar person poking around a neighbor’s gate, for example, contribute to safety concerns, but aren’t quantified in crime statistics.
“When there are people prowling around and looking for a house to break into and it gets noted and reported to people on Neighborhood Watch, we get scared and it concerns us. And if a home isn’t broken into in that case, it won’t be reflected in the police statistics, but that’s another point of fear for the people who live there,” he said. “So while it’s nice to have a number that is lower this year than last year, it does not make the people who are being targeted feel any better.”
The LAPD has acknowledged that residents still feel on-edge despite an overall decline in crime.
“Although crime statistics in Encino reflect a year-over-year decline, the LAPD recognizes that for those impacted by crime—especially the recent tragic double homicide and a series of home break-ins—statistics offer little comfort,” a statement from the agency read in part.
In the face of the recent burglaries, neighbors are looking to band together even more. The neighborhood council is encouraging residents to get to know their neighbors, as they can do what a security camera cannot– advocate for one another, call police and intervene in real time.
There is no better deterrent than a “nosy neighbor,” Sautter, the neighborhood council president, said. He and the council are encouraging neighbors to truly get to know one another and develop a sense of responsibility towards each other, so that in the face of a break-in, neighbors will feel compelled to check on each other or make reports to police and follow through with law enforcement responses.
“A lot of the time, when the burglars are caught, they’re released and so that makes everybody afraid. And then they get security systems and dogs and attack dogs and they put up walls, but they rarely, but I think more now than ever, people are starting to think, hey, maybe I should get to know my neighbor and create a WhatsApp group chat,” he said.
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