The man broke into the home about 3.15am on Saturday, November 23, through the garage door and spent about 15 minutes inside, taking all the family’s keys and a car.
The homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said he installed the CCTV 12 months ago to keep his family safe because it allowed his wife to see who rang the doorbell before opening the door.
He said police told him the CCTV footage was the most effective way they had to catch the offender because the burglar had worn socks on his hands and did not leave fingerprints.
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READ NOW‘It’s affected my wife the most because she’s at home. Every bit of wind that rattles the door or noise wakes her up because she’s worried that it’s someone trying to get in,’ he said.
‘The fact this guy was wandering around while my kids and wife were asleep ” anything could have happened.’
The family expects it will be left thousands of dollars out of pocket because of the expense of replacing all the keys despite their full insurance coverage.
The homeowner said he would install additional security in his home and urged others to secure their property.
‘I know cameras aren’t cheap and aren’t for everyone but security lights aren’t expensive,’ he said.
‘If you do install cameras, spend money on a quality system because the footage quality is much better.’