Thieves got away with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry after ransacking a home in an upscale Yorba Linda neighborhood last week.
This incident, which was captured on home security cameras, occurred around 7:35 p.m. on Oct. 13 at a home in the 4000 block of Hoiserlawn Way, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Homeowner Tamara Schlachter told KTLA she was at a restaurant with her daughter and dog when she got a notification on her phone saying there was an unfamiliar face seen upstairs.
She noticed two men in the house going through her children’s rooms and another room, but by then, the men had already been inside for about 15 minutes.
Schlachter called 911 and alerted authorities, who arrived at the home before she returned. The thieves, however, were nowhere to be found.
Authorities said the burglars may have used lawn furniture to smash through a sliding glass door to get inside. They ended up stealing more than $20,000 worth of jewelry and cash, Schlachter said.
Her jewelry had sentimental value, but she said she was happy to find a single black pearl her father had given her for a special birthday.
The family believes the thieves cased the house beforehand and knew no one was home when they struck.
The family now plans on fortifying their security system.