Valerie Bertinelli Catches Burglars Outside Of Her Home On Camera

Did Valerie Bertinelli just help police get one step closer to catching members of a possible burglary ring? Though many would expect celebrities to have state-of-the art security that would thwart thieves from robbing their homes, some brazen burglars have targeted stars in the past. In 2008, a group christened with the movie-ready name the "Bling Ring" targeted the swanky pads of celebrities including Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom. They were caught on surveillance cameras at both Audrina Patridge and Lindsay Lohan's homes before getting caught, per People.

Bertinelli believes that she possibly filmed members of another thieving ring outside her home. On December 28, the "One Day at a Time" star took to her Instagram Story to share images and a short video clip of two men loaded with backpacks and bags. In the video, one of the men slowly walks up her dark, tree-lined driveway and looks around, as if he's carefully studying his surroundings.

According to Fox News, the homes of a number of celebrities living in Los Angeles County have been burglarized in recent months, including those of "Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Dorit Kemsley, who was robbed while she was at home, per Extra. While these robberies may be unrelated, Bertinelli fears that a thieving ring is targeting her neighborhood and plans to take action to protect herself.

On her Instagram Story (via People), Valerie Bertinelli explained why she believes that the two men she captured on camera were thieves. "We've had a string of robberies in my neighborhood, my next-door neighbor included," she wrote. She also theorized that the man wandering up her driveway suddenly stopped because he noticed the light on her camera. According to the "Hot in Cleveland" star, the men were not together when she spotted them on her property but arrived an hour apart. "F***ing scary," Bertinelli wrote.

It's unclear which of her homes Bertinelli was at when she noticed the alleged thieves. In August, Dirt reported that she had listed her Hollywood Hills ranch house for sale, but she also owns properties in Malibu and Studio City. 

Bertinelli revealed that she contacted police and they searched her property. However, it seems that the suspicious men were long gone by that time. "I'm installing more motion detector lights and thinking of putting barbed wire on my front fence and of course my alarm gets set every night," the actor wrote on her Instagram Story. Security expert Jeff Zisner told Fox News that another action celebrities can take is to be extra careful about what they post on social media — thieves can use photos and videos to map out potential targets' homes and figure out when the residences are unoccupied.