Brazen thief captured on camera going through Paramus family's home before stealing BMW
PARAMUS, N.J. -- Police are looking for the man behind a brazen crime in the Garden State.
They say a car thief went into a home while the family was upstairs and stole car keys, before taking off with a BMW.
As CBS2's Nick Caloway reported Wednesday, surveillance video shows the suspect sneaking around the family home in Paramus.
The alleged criminal is seen by cameras outside and inside of the home in the Bruce Drive area of the town on Monday night.
It all started at around 11 p.m. The suspect gets out of a white SUV on the street, wearing a ski mask, and then tries multiple doors before finding one to the garage unlocked.
From there, he makes his way into the home. He digs around some coats in the mud room before going even further into the house.
He's later seen lurking around near a stairway.
The family who lives in the home was right up the stairs.
Police say the burglar found keys to the victim's car and then left the way he came. Out in the driveway, he is seen getting into the family's black BMW and takes off.
The victims did not want to speak to CBS2 on camera, but the episode left neighbors in disbelief.
"It's dangerous," one said.
"It is brazen. It's terrible. I'm sure it's frightening for the homeowner," Dan Cooney added.
Paramus police said this is at least the third time in recent months that thieves have entered homes in the borough to steal keys to high-end cars. Mayor Rich LaBarbiera said this problem is not unique to Paramus, and that criminals are becoming even more brazen.
"At first it was, 'Let's see if the door's unlocked and if there's a fob in it.' Now, they're actually going and searching out the keys so that they could gain access to the car and pull away," LaBarbiera said.
Police recommend residents lock doors and vehicles, and lock doors between the garage and living space.
Remarkably, the victims say the same car that was stolen Monday night was also stolen back in April. That time, they admit to leaving a key fob in the car.
The stolen car has yet to be recovered.