Police seek clues in home invasion

Costa Mesa police have few clues in the case of a 15-year-old girl who was robbed in her own home Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The teenager was home alone after school when she was hit on the back of the head and knocked unconscious by an intruder who came through the door of the home in 400 block of Merrimac Way, police said.

The victim didn’t see or hear the intruder and there was no evidence left at the scene. Without a suspect description or physical evidence, police have little they can follow, said Costa Mesa Sgt. Marty Carver.

“She really didn’t have any suspects that she could identify or could think who would have done it,” Carver said.

There were no other similar reported crimes in the area that day, Carver said.

The teenager was talking on the phone with her boyfriend when someone knocked on the front door. She opened the door and didn’t see anyone there; before she could close the door and lock it, someone walked through the door, police said.

She was hit on the back of the head with a object; her boyfriend found her unconscious on the floor 20 minutes later, police said.

“She could have been followed home; it’s hard to say,” Carver said.

The girl’s boyfriend is not a suspect.

She was taken to the hospital and treated for a concussion and minor injuries. The intruder stole jewelry and an unknown amount of money from the house, police said.

A home-invasion robbery -- when an intruder uses force or fear to take property -- is a rare crime in Newport-Mesa.

In August, a Newport Beach couple were handcuffed and assaulted by two men posing as sheriff’s deputies during a home invasion-robbery in the Eastbluff neighborhood. Before police arrived, the men fled the scene with watches, jewelry and an unknown amount of cash. Police said the robbery was an isolated incident.

People can take precautions against becoming the victims of home robberies, said Newport Beach Sgt. Bill Hartford.

Look around when you’re getting in and out of your car, and install a home alarm system, Hartford said. Most importantly, people should call police if they notice anything suspicious -- including a suspicious person.

“A lot of people just don’t call,” Hartford said.