A suspected burglar was caught on camera inside a Third Avenue home in Hillcrest on Christmas Eve after gaining access with the strength and balance of an acrobat.
At first, Tyler Luna couldn't be sure it was a burglary. Of course, things were missing, valuable things, but there was no sign of a break-in at the garage door in the back of the apartment. There was also no sign of forced entry at the front door behind a security gate.
"I felt violated. It was scary,” Luna said.
Luna wasn't home at the time, he was celebrating Christmas with family in Mississippi.
After he saw the images that had been recorded five hours earlier on his security camera, Luna took the next flight back home.
“Imagine waking up with this guy over your head while you're sleeping," Luna said.
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Luna says the burglar stole watches, a class ring, cash and more than $100 in coins.
Figuring out how he got in was much harder than catching Luna's intruder on camera.
Luna soon realized his second story patio was outside the building security gate.
"He climbs up on top of the security gate, then he grabs this railing or that wall boosts himself up and over the safety railing. It's the same way he exited," Luna said.
A daring acrobat no doubt. The mystery of how the burglar gained access was solved. Luna hopes the video will help San Diego Police find out who the thief is.
Luna isn't taking any more chances. He's looking into house sitters for out-of-town trips, timers on lights, a deadbolt and shatterproof glass for his new patio door.
NBC 7 showed the security images around the neighborhood.
No one recognized the man but some did have their own Christmas crimes to report.
"We have some porch pirates around here. I have caught people stealing packages from neighbors," neighbor Michael Broskowski said.
"Someone jumped over an 11-foot wall to steal a bike from my patio," neighbor Jason Posse said.
Luna told NBC 7 he thinks this same man burglarized his apartment last October. Both crimes were reported to San Diego police.
