It’s a case of entire families sleeping while thieves break into their homes and make off with high-end vehicles. It happened again in Monmouth County, and victims of these brazen crimes want to know when will it stop.

Manalapan police report two incidents early Tuesday just after 3 a.m. They say thieves broke into a home on Union Hill Road and stole key fobs and the owner’s Mercedes. Minutes later, police say three people tried to get inside a home on Country Oaks Drive. The homeowner appeared in the window with a gun, scaring the suspects, dressed in black and carrying a crowbar. Police gave chase but the suspects, driving the stolen Mercedes and another vehicle, sped off and got away.

The same thing happened at the Howell Township home of John Kabourakis on Feb. 28 at 5:30 am. But this time the thieves pried open a front window while Kabourakis’s kids slept upstairs.

“I pointed my gun at a person that I saw walking through my kitchen that was wearing a mask, gloves and carrying a flashlight. Soon as I pointed my gun at that individual, all three of the burglars just scattered. One of them dove head first out of my window,” said Kabourakis.

Police tell News 12 that as homeowners become more aware of auto thefts, thieves still have a job to do – and that’s to steal vehicles. Police say the new tactic of breaking into homes to get keys is the latest way to accomplish their mission.

“It's not going to get any better until something changes until these people are held accountable there has to be some recourse,” added Kabourakis.

Howell Township Police Chief John Storrow tells News 12, “This is not a local problem. It's a statewide problem. The problem is not going to get fixed until real consequences are brought back to those individuals who are committing these crimes."

Police say besides locking vehicles, doors and windows, residents should now make sure their keys and fobs are away from downstairs entry points and out of sight.