Brazen burglars scared off by family's security system

Men tried to shatter hurricane-impact glass door, pried open window

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale homeowner watched from across the country as a brazen break-in at his house was cut short early Monday, thanks to his home security system.

His family feels violated, but they're thankful they had a security system that actually scared off the burglars who had forced their way inside.

The man, who owns the Fort Lauderdale home where the video was taken, did not want to be identified, but he said he was out of town for business when burglars showed up in the middle of the night.

"We got a call from the alarm company at around 3 a.m., telling us that the alarm had gone off. We have cameras inside the house. We looked, and everything seemed normal," the homeowner said.

So they told the alarm company it was a false alarm, but an hour later, the company called again.

"So we looked at the camera and there they were," the homeowner said.

In the video, the burglars can be seen trying to smash something. It was a door that was outfitted with impact glass. The burglars never got through it.

Instead, they ripped down the cameras, pried open a window and climbed inside. 

One of the men went to the master bedroom. The other spotted the alarm system and tried to disable it, but he was unsuccessful. With the alarm blaring, the men scrambled back through the window and out of the house. 

Now, the Fort Lauderdale police are looking for them, and the homeowner has a message.

"Hey, guys, there's a lot of cameras out there. Doing this thing is pretty dangerous. So hope we catch these guys," he said.

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.