The person who stole three Stanley Cup championship rings from the Sewickley Heights home of Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin does not appear to be connected to a nationwide operation targeting sports superstars, Allegheny County police said on Wednesday with.
Police have not made any arrests in this case.
Malkin discovered his home had been broken into on Jan. 11 when he returned to his home in the 800 block of Blackburn Road. Earlier in the evening, the Penguins lost 5-0 to the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena, their home arena in downtown Pittsburgh.
At 8:30 p.m., Sewickley Heights police, a small municipal force whose three full-time officers patrol a historic district of about 350 homes, called county police.
Malkin's three Stanley Cup championship rings were stolen in the home invasion, Allegheny County police confirmed Wednesday.
Malkin led the team in three Stanley Cup-winning seasons – 2009, 2016 and 2017.
“At this time, investigators have not received any information indicating that this incident is related to any of the reported organizations that target professional athletes across the country,” county police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said in a prepared statement. “However, this remains an active investigation.”
The FBI is not involved in the investigation.
District officials remained largely silent Wednesday about the incident that made headlines.
Sewickley Heights District Administrator Nathan Briggs referred all questions about the break-in to law enforcement. He said the district's police force – which consists of three full-time officers and a chief – is on duty around the clock.
“Like any police force, you can’t be everywhere all the time,” Briggs said.
Sewickley Heights Police Chief JJ Harrison referred all inquiries to county police.
Harrison declined to comment when asked about the frequency of burglaries in the county. Sewickley Heights' 857 residents had a median household income of $203,000 in 2023, nearly three times the national average, U.S. Census data show.
On Wednesday afternoon, no one was at the police office in the Sewickley Heights municipal building, which is tucked into a golf course that traces its roots to Pittsburgh's North Side in 1895.
Few details of the crime have been publicly disclosed. Late Tuesday, the Penguins issued a statement about the ordeal.
“Last weekend, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin's home was broken into. Details of the situation will not be released as it is an ongoing investigation. We work closely with local authorities and team security. Malkin has asked that his privacy be respected during this time and we will have no further comment on this matter.”
On Wednesday, no reporters or television news crews gathered outside the stone wall gate that protects the private road where Malkin lives. County police did not patrol the site, which sits amid the rolling hills and sprawling estates of Sewickley Heights.
The incident came as the FBI warned sports organizations about criminal organizations targeting professional athletes following a series of break-ins at the homes of prominent NFL and NBA players.
Athletes' homes were targeted because they appeared to contain high-value goods such as jewelry, watches and cash, the FBI said in a liaison information report obtained by ABC News.
Star NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes from Kansas City and Joe Burrow from Cincinnati also fell victim, as did Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is known outside of sports fan circles as a friend of musician Taylor Swift.
NBA players have also fallen victim, from Dallas' Luka Doncic and Milwaukee's Bobby Portis to Minnesota's Mike Conley Jr.
Organized theft groups from South America use publicly available information and social media to identify athletes' habits and track their comings and goings, the FBI report said. The groups use technology that allows them to bypass alarm systems, block wireless internet connections and disable devices, cover surveillance cameras and hide their identities.
That message resonated Wednesday with Briggs, who used the media moment to offer advice to the residents he works for.
“I tell them, 'Stay alert, close your windows and doors,'” Briggs told TribLive. “'And don't post on social media that you're leaving the house.'”
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (NJ) Press, he served as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009, returning in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.