Two consecutive tourist burglaries

The Department of Public Safety reported two separate tourist burglaries last Tuesday at two popular tourist sites on island.

DPS responded to a burglary in Ladder Beach at about 1pm last Tuesday and responded to another burglary in Marpi at about 7pm the same day. Both burglaries involved tourists and their rented vehicles.

According to DPS spokesperson Adrian Pangelinan, DPS still cannot say if both crimes are tied to the same suspect or suspects as police investigation continues.

The first involved a tourist vehicle burglary at Ladder Beach in Obyan. DPS received a 911 call about the incident at about 1:56pm last Tuesday. Officers arrived at the scene at about 2:19pm and met with the victim, a male tourist, who immediately pointed in the direction of his rental vehicle., a yellow Camaro convertible, which had a large opening on the vehicle’s driver’s side.

Officers learned that the male individual arrived at Ladder Beach with his wife and son at around 1:30pm and noticed that there were no vehicles in the area. The family parked their vehicle and walked down toward the beach to take some family photos. After 15 minutes, the victim made his way back to the rental car to retrieve his bag. As he was walking toward the car, he noticed that the canvas of the convertible had been cut open. Items taken from the vehicle include a green Adidas sling bag that contained the family’s personal belongings, credit cards, and some Chinese currency.

The second burglary was another tourist vehicle burglary at the Last Command Post in Marpi. At about 7:46pm, the DPS substation in Garapan entertained a walk-in complaint of a burglary and theft incident that occurred earlier that day at the Last Command Post.

The victim, a female tourist, told officers that she and a few friends arrived at the Last Command Post and got down from their rental car to take pictures.

After about 40 minutes, the victim said the group went back to their vehicle and one of their female companions noticed that her purse was nowhere to be found. They quickly searched the vehicle but could not find it so they drove to the police substation in Garapan to seek police assistance.

Items missing include a Chinese passport, the victim’s Chinese driver’s license, a small white purse with a black strap with an estimated value of $300, assorted cosmetic products, and $300.

If you have any information related to the burglary and theft incidents that occurred in Marpi or Obyan, call 911. If you wish to remain anonymous, call the NMI Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272.