BELFAST — Belfast Police Chief Mike McFadden is warning residents to be on heightened alert after eight late-night/early-morning burglaries were reported at the end of last week, with more than half of them occurring while residents were home.

Early in the morning Thursday, Nov. 8, Belfast police started getting calls from residents reporting burglaries. In those four cases, entry into two of the homes was unsuccessful. The third residence was unoccupied during the burglary but the fourth involved an elderly female who was asleep in her bedroom.

"The elderly lady was woken in the middle of the night by a flashlight shining from the threshold of her bedroom door," said McFadden. "She was frightened, shouted, 'Get out of my house,' and the person quickly left."

But the woman could not be certain they were gone, so she barricaded herself in the bedroom and waited until dawn to call police, as she had no phone in the room and only then felt comfortable enough to exit the room, said McFadden.

The spree continued Friday, when another four residents called police in the early morning hours or overnight Thursday to report burglaries.

"Four more houses were broken into that we know of, three of them occupied," said McFadden. "This time we know [they occurred after the others] because the burglars are going right into bedrooms and taking items off nightstands while people are sleeping."

McFadden said the brazen nature of the crimes is unsettling, and unlike other times, these burglaries are not crimes of opportunity.

"It's an incredibly dangerous situation for everyone involved," he said. "Entry was forced in all but one case, when a door was left unlocked."

Friday's cases, McFadden said, were reported the same as Thursday's. There were no calls immediately after or during the commission of the crimes, rather the calls started coming in when people woke up and realized someone had been inside their house. That is, except for the elderly woman, who would have called sooner if she could.

"She did not have a phone in her bedroom that night, when she would have called, but I would bet she has a phone there now," said McFadden.

"My message right now is for the community to help us and help themselves," said McFadden. "Driving around Thursday night into Friday, we noticed a lot of people left outside lights on. That helps us when people leave lights on outside. Also, if you hear something in the middle of night, no matter how seemingly insignificant, call us. We are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

McFadden said that while there currently is no suspect or suspects, there is every indication that some houses are being selected over others.

"If your dog starts barking in the middle of the night and it's not something they usually do, call us, let us know. We don't care if it's 2, 3 or 4 a.m. We need some help and we'll use any piece of information we can get our hands on right now," said McFadden.

Additionally, McFadden is urging people not to take matters into their own hands should they come into contact with someone inside their home or on their property.

"It's hard to say how anyone will react when they see someone in their bedroom in the middle of the night, as it's everyone's worst nightmare and it's incredibly dangerous," said McFadden. "But if you feel as though someone is in your house, or you wake up and find someone in your bedroom, don't chase them, rather yell at them like the elderly lady did, which caused them to flee, and then take that opportunity to immediately call the police."

It's his hope, he said, that the perpetrator will leave if discovered, as they have done so far.

"It is just super dangerous for all involved to confront someone, or chase them on your own. Call us," he said.

McFadden declined to comment Sunday on the kinds of items reported stolen. He also said there has thus far been no information in regards to weapons. He said the location of the burglaries thus far in general has been in the downtown residential area.

He did lament that nobody yet has called to report suspicious noises or seeing anyone in places they shouldn't be at the time of the crimes, or soon after.

"We have not gotten a single call either Thursday or Friday right after someone has been burglarized in the total eight incidents we know of, but after the fact, far after the fact, while talking to victims and neighbors they have said their dogs were randomly barking those nights and there were other out-of-the-ordinary sounds," said McFadden. "A heightened level of awareness is needed right now, to be aware of anything unusual and to call us to give us a chance to catch them."

• The Belfast Police Department can be reached at 338-2420 or dial 911 in an emergency.

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached by email at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or by calling 207-706-6655.