West Covina resident George Nguyen saw what he thought was a reflection of green glass in a bush on his front yard on Friday night, April 25. What he ended up kicking out of the bush turned out to be a camera covered in fake grass.
“The camera was facing my house,” Nguyen said. He told his spouse and their son, texted his neighbor group and called the police.
“Me and family felt violated,” he said.
Police have not yet identified the suspect or suspects who hid the camera in the Nguyens’ front yard on East Cortez Street. It’s the second time this month that a hidden camera was found in the city.
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The back of the camera found by a resident in a yard on East Cortez Street in West Covina on April 25, 2025. (Photo courtesy of George Nguyen)
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The back of the camera found by a resident in a yard on East Cortez Street in West Covina on April 25, 2025. (Photo courtesy of George Nguyen)
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A homeowner discovered a camera in a front yard on the 1200 block of South Willow Avenue just after 6 p.m. on April 12, Sgt. Steven Spagon said. It was a different type of camera compared to the one found by Nguyen, he added.
“We believe it’s consistent with burglary crews operating in Southern California,” Spagon said.
See related story: Burglary gangs are literally planting cameras in Southern California yards to spy on residents, police say
But police don’t know if the two cases are connected or if the culprits are a local group or hail from another country.
Similar cases in Southern California have been linked to burglary tourists from South America who use cameras to spy on residents’ comings and goings and to gauge the best time to break in the victims’ homes. Cameras have been found in Arcadia, Alhambra, Glendale, Chino Hills and Temecula last year.
See related story: Hidden camera found outside Chino Hills home
It was around 8:45 p.m. on Friday when Nguyen noticed the green light in the bush.
“I thought it was a reflection of some green glass,” he said. The first thing that came to his mind was a Christmas ornament.
When Nguyen went to grab it, he said it felt mushy and heavy. Thinking it was a dead animal, he used his left foot to kick it out of the bush and realized it was a device. He saw the lens and the green light.
Nguyen covered the lens with his thumb and moved the camera, which he estimated to be 10 inches long and about 4 inches high.
“I had it facing the wall so it wouldn’t see me,” he said.
After he texted his neighbor group about what he found, the neighbors came out and started checking their yards, Nguyen said. No other cameras were found, he said.
Their Ring camera recorded someone walking away from the bush early Thursday morning, Nguyen said.
It’s unknown if this person is connected to the camera. Police has not yet identified the person, Spagon said.
Whoever planted the camera targeted the wrong person, according to Nguyen.
“I’m not afraid to make it public or go on social media,” he said, adding he wanted the word out to make the community aware and to be vigilant.
The Nguyens have cameras, an alarm system, guns, mace and Tasers.
“And we’re not afraid to use them. We’re not the type to panic, either,” he said.
Police asked anyone with information about the case to call them at 626-939-8500 and ask for the Detective Bureau.
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