WATCH: Man Breaks Into Mount Prospect Home While Girl Is Home Alone
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in Mount Prospect were hoping surveillance video would help them find a man who terrified a girl when he broke into her house while she was home alone.
The break-in happened around noon on July 23, at a home on the 300 block of North William Street.
Security camera video shows the moment the man kicks in the door.
The girl's mother, Bonnie Bridges, was only eight minutes away when it happened, watching the home invasion unfold on a home security app, after her 16-year-old daughter had called her to say she could see and hear someone trying to break in.
"My heart dropped. My body started shaking," she said. "Trying not to blow red lights. Trying to maintain my composure while I'm calling 911."
The girl was home alone at the time, and said the man already had knocked on the door several times, and peered in the windows, before breaking into their house.
After kicking in the door, the man walked upstairs to the very room the girl had locked herself in to hide.
"He decided to kick the door in that she was hiding behind. She screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs," Bridges said.
When the girl screamed, the crook immediately ran back downstairs and out the front door.
"We have him running northbound. We're trying to talk with other homeowners in the area to see if maybe anyone else has outdoor security cameras," Mount Prospect Police Officer Greg Sill said.
Neighbors were worried the criminal might come back.
The suspect didn't lay a hand on Bridges' daughter, but did leave an imprint.
"She goes 'Mom, I think I found my avenue in life. I think I know what direction I want to go.' She goes, 'Oh, I want to help solve these crimes,'" Bridges said.
Bridges has since installed a home security alarm system, and suggested other homeowners do the same.
Police were offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the suspect's arrest.
The suspect was described as a 55- to 65-year-old white man with white hair. He was wearing a black baseball cap, sunglasses, black t-shirt, black shorts, and black shoes.
