Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown appears to be the latest high-profile athlete to be targeted in a string of home invasions at the homes of athletes and their families, according to a new local report.
Local WCVB reports on Thursday, Dec. 19 that the mother of Brown, 28, had her home broken into in Wellesley, Mass., on Sunday while she was home.
Citing a source with the Wellesley Police Department, the outlet reports that the thieves allegedly believed they were breaking into Brown’s home
WCVB also reports that Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson had his home broken into on the same night, where thieves reportedly stole an NBA Championship ring.
The Wellesley Police Department confirmed to us that officers “responded to a call for a possible breaking and entering at a residence located in the Grove Street Neighborhood of Wellesley on Sunday” night at 8:21 p.m. local time.
Jaylen Brown.
G Fiume/Getty
“Officers checked the residence and confirmed there was a break-in,” the department’s statement continued, adding that “Wellesley detectives responded to the scene and are currently investigating.”
Both reported robberies occurred while the Celtics were on the road playing an away game against the Washington Wizards in Washington, D.C., on Sunday night. The pattern follows a string of break-ins at other high-profile athletes’ houses in recent months while they were either out of town for an away game or actively playing a game.
The list of home robbery victims in recent months includes NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow, as well as the NBA players Bobby Portis and Mike Conley Jr. The break-ins have happened across the country, as well, from Mahomes and Kelce’s Kansas City-area homes to Burrow’s in the Cincinnati-area, Portis’ in Milwaukee and Conley Jr.’s in Minneapolis.
Mechalle Brown and Jaylen Brown.
Leon Bennett/Gett
The NFL issued a memo to its players last month warning them about a possible organized crime ring breaking into players’ homes while they’re away at games,we previously reported. A source told NFL.com at the time that the threat of break-ins is “legit” and said authorities believe “a transnational crime ring” is responsible for the robberies and attempted robberies, which appear to target NFL and NBA players.
The NFL warned its players that the burglars are using public records to find the addresses of their pro-athlete targets and that they “conduct extensive surveillance” before attempting the robberies. Although the investigators believe the burglars are “non-confrontational” and do not act while the residents are home, they track the target’s social media accounts — and those of their families — as well as team schedules to know when the homes will be empty.
