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Cameras Catch Point Loma Burglars Steal $50K Worth of Items

Dr. Sabine Purps installed home security cameras to keep on eye on her cats

Home cameras meant to keep an eye on a Point Loma woman’s cats instead caught a pair of suspected cat burglars, taking off with $50,000 worth of items.

Dr. Sabine Purps’ cameras spotted three young men appear to break into her home Tuesday afternoon.

Jewelry, guitars, electronics, and a safe full with her green card and her family's passports were taken, Purps told NBC 7.

“It’s maddening,” Purps said. “The boldness of somebody being here during the day just blows me. It’s just not right.”

She said one of the suspects came in through a back window, using a chair near her garden to climb up. Then he went to the front door and let the others in.

“They were in and out in five minutes,” she said. “They knew they had to be fast.”

Purps noticed the men weren’t wearing gloves or masks, calling them “rookies.”

Footage picked up one of the suspects saying, “Look at that view,” as he looked out the windows of the Point Loma home.

Police swept the area, finding fingerprints “everywhere,” she told NBC 7. “They’re not getting far with it,” Purps said.

Purps’ camera system was set up to catch a neighborhood cat that comes in and eats their food, she said.

The “handy” security system footage was put on Facebook and Nextdoor, Purps said, in the hopes of finding the suspects.

Purps said her neighbors were able to get the suspected thieves’ license plate number.

With that information, her reports filed with the police, and the fact that everything stolen was insured, Purps said she just wants to move on and “get it over with.”

Though upset, Purps said she did wish the best for the burglar suspects.

“I would just wish the best for their lives, hopefully this is a wake-up for them,” she said. “Get serious. Do something good for the world. Don’t live off other people like parasites.”

As for future measures, Purps said she will add a wired alarm system to her home, so she and police are notified of any other break-ins.

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