String of burglaries reported in Colonie, police say

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

An elderly Colonie woman fought with an intruder in her home early Saturday, a burglary police say is part of a string in the neighborhood.

The woman, 72, was at her East Cobble Hill Road home sleeping at about 1:30 a.m. when she was awakened by the burglar in her bedroom.

The resident and suspect struggled, the resident suffering minor injures. But the suspect made off with jewelry expected to be worth tens of thousands of dollars, police said.

The suspect is believed to have entered the second floor of the home, dressed in black, including a mask and gloves, police said.

Police responded, with a K-9 from Albany Police assisting, but no arrests were made.

That same night, a home on West Cobble Hill Road was also burglarized, though nothing has been confirmed to be missing. A ring is unaccounted for, though, police said.

That burglary was discovered after the resident returned home Sunday, police said. It is believed to have happened late Friday or early Sunday.

Both break-ins are consistent with two other burglaries reported June 24 that also happened on West Cobble Hill Road early in the morning.

The burglar in each case entered through a second-floor window. In one of the houses, the suspect made off with another haul of tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry. Residents of that home were home at the time, but slept through the burglary, police said.

Nothing was taken from the other home after the suspect triggered the home’s alarm system.

Police reminded residents to be alert for suspicious persons and vehicles, to keep doors and windows locked, alarms activated and lights on.

Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to contact Colonie Police at 783-2744.