Brazen burglars hit Salt Lake home twice while family is on humanitarian trip

SALT LAKE CITY — Not once, but twice burglars struck a Salt Lake family’s home.

The family said burglars scouted out their home and took tens of thousands of dollars worth of items within two trips to their home along Newberry Road.

Salt Lake City police said the thieves made off with the family’s car, jewelry, cash and also credit cards. The suspects were caught on camera using the cards at several stores in Bountiful and Salt Lake.

“It’s very violating,” homeowner Andrew Florence said.

The family  was on a trip to Mexico last week to help build homes for locals.

“We’d been planning spring break, just going out of town, to go somewhere warm,” Florence said. “A few families from the neighborhood decided to drive down to Mexico to help out with building homes.”

Florence thinks someone must have been watching the family as they packed up their car.

“I’m sure they thought, ‘there’s a perfect opportunity, the family will be out of town,’” he said.

Less than 48 hours into their trip, they received a disturbing call.

“We got a call from our neighbor that our garage door was open and that our other car was gone,” Florence said.

He said the thieves made their way in through a side door that had a faulty sensor. When they checked with their security system, they noticed something odd.

“It notified us that the thieves went in again through our garage door and that’s when they took the car,” he said.

Thieves also stole his wife’s wedding ring, computers, cash and credit cards during two trips to the house. Florence said although tens of thousands of dollars worth of valuables are gone, life will go on.

“My family is all safe, and everything that is gone is replaceable,” he said.

Their vehicle is a white 2017 Nissan Armada, Utah plate W082TM. Call Salt Lake City police if you see the car or recognize the suspects.