Somerville woman confronts intruder, Tufts warns students after break-ins
SOMERVILLE - The Somerville community is on alert after several break-ins at off-campus houses near the Tufts Medford-Somerville campus.
Investigators say some of the victims came home and found doors unlocked or in one case a woman found a burglar in her home. She's known to be tough in her family, but even Anna Vicente was startled when she came home to find a burglar in her hallway.
"It was creepy knowing that he could get in the house," said Vicente. "It was scary a little bit, but I came from a tough neighborhood in Cambridge, so I wasn't afraid. But I was surprised that someone could just come in my house."
Woman confronts intruder
Her house is near the Tufts Medford-Somerville campus where police say other break-ins have been happening.
When Vicente confronted the intruder, she says he pretended to live there. "I said who are you and he said he lives there, and he kept saying that over and over," said Vicente. "Then he started calling my kids punks and threw his wallet at them, he kept trying to go in my house and I wouldn't let him."
The burglar was trying to steal a computer and chairs in the hallway, she said.
"This [the banister] was ripped off and it has nails on it, so he was going like this with the nails. I think he was going to hit us with it," said Vicente. "Then I said, 'I'm calling police,' after I saw that because I thought he would try something."
The family called 911 and the guy took off. The next day, not too far from Vicente's home, police say a burglar snatched two bikes from a basement.
Extra police patrols
Extra Tufts police were seen patrolling the area over the weekend.
"Extra activity, cops driving down this road, I figured that, I've lived in college neighborhoods before so either there had been break-ins or that they were trying to prevent them," said neighbor Travis Taylor.
A warning was sent out by Tufts to the campus community saying in part; "Please take safety measures and ensure that all doors, windows, and any other entry points are secured, and when possible, leave some inside lights on inside the residence when you are not at home."
Somerville police are actively investigating. University officials also say people can call Tufts Police Department to report a break in.
