Thieves rip safe out of wall

Newport Beach police are still looking for an unknown number of thieves who reportedly stole more than $1.2 million in jewelry, money and rare coins from a home late this weekend.

Thieves broke into the home in the Belcourt gated community on Chadbourne Court near Ford Drive between 6:30 a.m. Saturday and 3:20 p.m. Sunday, police Sgt. Evan Sailor said

The burglars broke in through a skylight, then pulled out a personal safe from a wall cabinet, police said. According to Sailor, ripping out the wall safe caused $17,000 in damage to the surrounding drywall.

Burglars then sawed and pried open the safe to get the goods inside, police said.

While initial reports of loss were more than double the current count, police say that some items thought stolen were found inside the house.

It was the second major jewelry theft locally in little more than a week. On the night of Oct. 12, an unknown thief or thieves took a safe holding $500,000 of jewelry from an unlocked Bentley in the Harbor Hill gated community. The garage door where it was kept had been inadvertently left open, according to reports.

That case remains open as well, police said, but Sailor said the two were not related.

“There’s absolutely no indication they are connected,” Sailor said. “They do appear to be two separate incidents.”

Anyone with information on either crime is asked to call the department with tips at (800) 550-6273. Messages can be left anonymously.