Gorilla mask-wearing suspect part of group seen breaking into vehicles

AMELIA, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) - A gorilla mask-wearing suspect is part of a group of suspects accused of breaking into and damaging vehicles in a neighborhood in Ohio.

The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said they have received between six and 10 reports of attempted vehicle break-ins in the Amelia Park neighborhood.

Ring camera video shows the group, which included one person in a gorilla mask, trying to get into vehicles in the neighborhood.

Ryan Argo said he woke up to what he believed were teens attempting to break into his cars.

Argo said the teens ran off when he set off the alarm but came back a few minutes later.

“At first I thought it was a joke, and then when I realized they were trying to get in the cars, I thought, ‘Oh, this is a theft attempt,’” he said.

Argo called the police, but the damage was already done, and the teens were gone.

Neighbors on Wooded Ridge Drive have videos of the same group attempting break-ins, including the person in the gorilla mask.

Detective Erik Benkelmann said the sheriff’s office is worried about more than just the break-ins.

“The worry for us is someone might come out and shoot someone,” he said.

Benkelmann said the suspects were out causing a significant amount of damage between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m.

“Shattered window, shattered turn signal, [the] majority of the damage was to vehicles,” he said.

The sheriff’s office is working to find the teenage suspects.

“Extra patrols from the sheriff’s office in the neighborhood to make sure something like this doesn’t happen,” Benkelmann said. “To the kids who do these kinds of activities, we will find you and you will be criminally prosecuted when we do.”

Detective Benkelmann urged residents not to keep anything valuable in their vehicles and to keep the doors locked while the investigation continues.

Copyright 2025 WXIX via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.