In an unprecedented exposé on the “Locked In With Ian Bick” podcast, Jennifer Gomez lifted the veil on her astonishing career as a cat burglar, divulging intricate details behind her spree of more than 200 home break-ins that netted her around $7 million.
With chilling candor, she peeled back the layers of her methodical approach, revealing the calculated tactics that propelled her into some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Florida.
“I always wanted homes that were nice. I mean, at least million-dollar homes,” Gomez, 41, confessed during last week’s gripping interview, offering a glimpse into her meticulous selection process.
“I would always try to find a home that was in a cul-de-sac so I wouldn’t get lost in there … or a home that backed up to a street,” she added.
Raised in an environment of privilege, Gomez drew upon her intimate knowledge of wealthy lifestyles to craft her criminal exploits.
“I knew a lot of things about how wealthy people lived because my parents were both physicians,” she divulged. “They’re probably going to have a privacy fence of some kind. I can hide behind that when I get in their backyard. I’m completely concealed.”
When targeting houses, Gomez preferred it to be raining — a common occurrence in humid Florida.
“Because people are not outside, they’re not gardening, there’s not landscapers, there’s not anyone jogging in the neighborhood,” she reasoned. “And even if they are somewhere they can see me, there’s, like, rain droplets on the window, so they really don’t know what they’re looking at.”
With a keen eye for detail, Gomez homed in on the subtle cues of security systems, viewing them as telltale signs of valuable possessions ripe for the taking.
“Everybody who has an alarm has money,” she asserted. “For me, that was a good thing, because what you’re telling me is you have things to protect.
“Rich people always want to advertise all of their security,” Gomez continued. “This home is under surveillance. ADT alarm system stickers … now I know there’s an alarm system, so I’m going to work around it.”
She now cautions homeowners against the unintentional advertising of their vulnerabilities.
“There’s a lot of things that you can tell from the outside of a home that will give a burglar a lot of information,” Gomez said. “Stop advertising everything that’s going on in your house and with your house.”
Gomez further deciphered security setup clues.
“I can see if the motion sensors are on. I can see if the alarm is even on. You can just look right through a window or the door and see if it’s red or green,” she explained.
When it came time to breaking in, Gomez used a tool she purchased from a hardware store that works to cut glass with precision.
“I’d go around and I’d go to their privacy fence and open it. I’d climb it, I’d jump over the bush, whatever,” she recounted. “I start knocking on windows. Knocking on windows.”
Gomez developed convincing ruses to gain entry. “I’m like, ‘Miss Sarah, Miss Suzanne. Hey, are you in there? Hey! Open up. Come to the door. Your daughter wanted me to check on you,’” she revealed.
If they were home, she would walk away, but relentlessly ensuring first nobody was home was the main focus.
Gomez also carefully curated her wardrobe — wearing shoes of two different sizes, gloves and her hair pulled back — and carrying a purse with her tools.
“I didn’t wear any makeup. I try to look as young as possible,” she said. “I always wear scrubs because I was under this ruse that I was a med spa for dogs.”
Gomez’s shrewd understanding of pet behavior set her apart from the average burglar.
“Rich people don’t crate their animals. They let them walk around,” she noted. “So I know that if your dog’s walking around the house, your motion sensors are not on, so I can walk around your house freely.”
Gomez’s ingenious methods for outsmarting even the most vigilant guard dogs included bringing steak, chicken or a sandwich from her car.
“If there’s a dog that does look a little scary, I’m giving it food,” she shared. “They are not going to get me.”
Perhaps the most audacious move in Gomez’s playbook was locking the garage door upon entry.
“I hear commotion because people are gonna be like, ‘What the hell? Why is my door locked? Who locked the door?’ And that has worked,” she admitted about her sly strategy to sow confusion and buy herself valuable time.
Once inside, Gomez targeted the master bedroom and office.
“I look for cash, I look for gold and then I get the hell out of there,” she said.
Then, Gomez hopped in her getaway car to head home and tally her loot.
“I got a very average car. I got this silver Impala, Chevy Impala, just a silver Chevy Impala,” she described. “I don’t know many wealthy people that would be able to point that car out and say what it is, like a police car, maybe, like they don’t know.”
Gomez spent time in police cars, having served about a decade behind bars for burglary.
