A California family recently tuned into their home security system and found out that thieves were tearing through their house, stealing thousands of dollars worth of valuables.
Tamara Schlachter and her daughter were notified of the burglary as they were dining out.
The burglary occurred on Oct. 13 at around 7 p.m. local time.
Schlachter recalled feeling helpless as she watched the burglars ransack her house, located in Yorba Linda, California.
“We actually got a notification on my phone that said something like ‘unfamiliar face seen upstairs,’ and so I looked at my phone, and we just saw it all happen and unfold right in front of us,” Schlachter told KTTV.
Footage of the 14-minute burglary, captured by the family’s Nest security camera, showed two thieves dressed in white tearing through her belongings.
You can see some of the horror in the news clip below:
The burglars gained entry through the home’s sliding glass doors – without tripping the home alarm sensors.
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“There’s people coming in stealing, taking away our safety which is the most important thing is just that feeling of the loss of safety. Things can be replaced, but I want families to feel safe in their own homes,” Schlachter said.
She told KNBC that she and her daughter called police right away to report the burglary.
“Just a scary experience to watch that live, what was going on but yet so thankful that no one was home,” she said.
Schlachter said the two men had rummaged through her drawers, throwing everything they didn’t want on the floor.
Ultimately, she said that they had taken about $20,000 to $30,000 in cash and jewelry – as well as items that had sentimental value.
Among the wreckage, she initially thought that one of her prized possessions, a pearl necklace, had been taken.
“My dad gave me a pearl necklace when I was born. That was stolen,” Schlachter told KNBC. “Then on my 50th birthday my dad got me a black pearl and he wrote a beautiful saying about the significance of that black pearl so I knew I was going to have to grapple with that feeling of losing that as well.”
“About 4:30 in the morning everyone was gone and I just went into my room. It was in disarray, and I just prayed ‘Lord just give me like one nugget of hope, just something here.’ And, through the midst of all the stuff I found my black pearl necklace that my dad gave me,” she said.
Schlachter said she hopes her story will help in identifying the burglars.
“I want this story to go out to make sure that other families are safe and can protect themselves,” Schlachter said, adding that she believes another home in her neighborhood was also targeted.
The burglary is currently being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
