Five people have been arrested by Denver police as suspects in a burglary ring known to investigators as the “rooftop burglars.”
The burglars always struck at night and hit businesses that used coins, including Laundromats and car washes. After shinnying up poles or pipes, the burglars would gain rooftop access to buildings by removing mechanical equipment or fixtures and then scrambling down duct work, police said.
“It was always the same M.O. and that’s why we named them the rooftop burglars,” said Denver police Cmdr. Doug Stephens.
The group is accused of at least 19 jobs that netted thousands of dollars, all in change, Stephens said.
The first suspected burglary by the group was on Aug. 26, and they hit businesses in Denver, Lakewood and Arapahoe County.
“In some instances they were getting a pretty decent amount of money,” Stephens said.
Detectives working the case believed so many coins would have to leave a trail, most likely at banks where they’d be cashed in.
A Denver crime analyst used locations of the businesses burglarized to establish a likely area where the burglars might live and do business. Detectives blanketed banks in the area and inquired about any suspicious people who might be turning in large amounts of coins for cash.
A bank called with a tip and investigators used video surveillance from the bank to develop a solid lead on a suspect, Stephens said. Detectives then staked out the suspect’s home and followed him to a heist last week.
“It was just good old-fashioned police work,” Stephens said.
Police served several search warrants and found coin machines, cash boxes and change machines among other items that were stolen from some of the businesses, Stephens said.
On Thursday, police arrested five suspects: Jonathan Leyva, 20; Myra Frias-Orozco, 27; Jorge Orozco, 25; Toni Ortega, 40; and Tiarra Kelly, 18.
They were being held at the Denver jail on suspicion of multiple counts of burglary.
The investigation is ongoing and police may link the suspected ring to more jobs, Stephens said.
Also recovered after the warrants were served were hundreds of Halloween costumes that were stolen from an Adams County business.
“They were pretty prolific,” Stephens said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
