A Clermont County community is grappling with a peculiar string of attempted break-ins, involving a suspect donning a gorilla mask. Residents of Amelia Park were unnerved to find security camera footage showing a masked individual alongside accomplices trying to enter their vehicles, according to Local 12. Ryan Argo's Ring camera captured the bizarre scene outside his home, where the suspects tested car doors to see if they were unlocked. "They were actually shaking our car doors trying to see if they were unlocked and trying to get into them," Argo told Local 12. Despite an alarm scaring them off, the suspects returned shortly after to target his Cadillac once again.
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office has acknowledged receiving multiple reports, estimated between six and 10, of similar incidents in the area. Detective Erik Benkelmann noted that the group caught on video included one person in a gorilla mask, based on footage from residents' surveillance equipment, Fox19 reports. While initial reactions might lean towards disbelief or humor, the reality of the theft attempts soon set in for the affected householders. "At first I thought it was a joke, and then when I realized they were trying to get in the cars," Argo explained to Fox19, "I thought, ‘Oh, this is a theft attempt.’"
In addition to targeting cars, the masked individual and their accomplices also attempted to break into homes. One resident, Tracy Argo, shared with WLWT that the individual with the gorilla mask "literally looked into one of the cameras in the neighborhood and was saying something." This act demonstrated a brazen acknowledgment of being under surveillance, a detail that adds to residents' unease. The mask used by the suspect may be considered 'unusual,' but the concern it has raised among community members is all too real. While two others were with the masked suspect, who wore a nondescript face covering, they lacked the distinctive gorilla costume, according to the WLWT report.
