Elderly woman robbed at home

Authorities are searching for robbers who forced their way into an elderly woman’s home and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry in an afternoon incident in Newport Beach.

“This isn’t something we typically experience here,” Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

About 4:10 p.m. in the 2200 block at Golden Circle, someone incessantly rang the doorbell of a 78-year-old woman’s home, police said. When the woman opened the door, she faced a group of people who looked to be in their 20s, with the man closest to her immediately covering her mouth and eyes with his hands and forcing her back into the house.

Police said the robber led her, unable to see, to the couch and placed something over her head, possibly a tablecloth or sheet. Then several of the robbers tied her hands and feet together using electrical cord they found inside the house and told her not to move for 10 minutes, Sailor said.

The group then rummaged through her things and stole $14,000 worth of jewelry, officials said.

After about 10 minutes, the woman was able to get to a phone and call 9-1-1.

Police said a neighbor reported seeing two men and a woman in their 20s get into a parked vehicle and leave. They did not see where the group came from, Sailor said.

Police said robberies like this are extremely rare and they have no indication why the woman was targeted.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].