Aug 13, 2025
A Queens woman found what looked like a phone buried in her front lawn — but it wasn’t just lost property.
Mary Kehoe, who’s lived in her Forest Hills home for 35 years, spotted the strange device outside. It looked like an Android phone wrapped in black tape, with only the camera exposed — like it was made to watch, not call.
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“Why us? I had lots of things going through my head as to why they chose our lawn but realized we are in the middle of the block,” Kehoe told CBS.
Experts warn that these kinds of planted devices may be part of a growing tactic used by burglars to spy on homeowners, tracking their daily routines or scouting for valuables. And it’s not just an isolated case, similar incident have popped up across the Tri-State Area.
Here’s how to identify these devices and what to do if one shows up in your yard.
Not just paranoia
Discovering a hidden device on your lawn isn’t just unsettling — it’s a serious breach of privacy. And unfortunately, it’s happening more often.
Police say covert surveillance cases like this are turning up across the country, including in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and even quiet neighborhoods like Scarsdale. And the tools being used aren’t high-tech spy gadgets.
“It could be any type of camera that is digital and wireless. It could be cheap; it could be expensive,” Sergeant Vahe Abramyan of the Glendale Police Department told the Los Angeles Times. “You can go on Amazon or go to Best Buy to get one.”
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That’s exactly what happened in Garden Grove, where a resident discovered a camera hidden in a neighbor’s bush — aimed directly at her home. According to KTLA, the neighbor initially thought it was trash, but inside the bag was a camera and battery pack.
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Staying safe
With these surveillance tactics on the rise, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your neighborhood.
“Put your alarms on, put lights on, and be aware. And we’re a nice little block here that we look out for one another, so when people do go away, they let us know so we can take a walk down their driveway and make sure everything is safe,” Kehoe said.“We are now watching.”
In Kehoe’s Forest Hills community, neighbors are banding together — keeping a closer eye on their lawns, shrubs and anything that seems out of place.
Police recommend trimming hedges to eliminate hiding spots, installing motion-detecting lights and staying alert for camouflaged devices that could be stashed in your yard. Burglars may also drive through a neighborhood or pose as salespeople to scout homes and monitor routines.
If something seems off — even a strange light or an out-of-place item in your yard — don’t ignore it. Report it to your local authorities right away.
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Victoria Vesovski is a Toronto-based staff reporter at Moneywise covering personal finance, lifestyle and trending news. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto and New York University, and her work has appeared on platforms including Yahoo Finance, MSN Money and Apple News.
