Mission Viejo burglary victims recall the night when home intruders led police on a chase
It was a high-speed chase from Orange County to Los Angeles, then a foot pursuit -- all captured live on KCAL News.
Jay Weil and his daughter Madison had just returned to their Mission Viejo home around 9 p.m. Thursday when they walked in on a burglary in progress.
"I looked up and I saw flashlights moving all over the upstairs, so we knew there were people inside our home," said Madison.
Security video from their home cameras showed three people snooping around and climbing up their second-floor balcony.
The thieves made their way in through a window and ransacked jewelry cabinets, popped open two gun safes, and took anything of value in a matter of minutes. The only thing they failed to steal was the safe.
It was a burglary of speed, filling backpacks with goods as quickly as possible, in and out.
The Weils live in a gated community and they say this is the third time a home on their street has been burglarized in the last year.
"It's very disturbing. When the first one was broken into down the street, it rattled the whole neighborhood," said Jay.
Orange County Sheriff's arrived within minutes, and as the thieves heard the commotion they took off, jumping the back fence. Deputies saw a suspicious car speeding away and followed it.
"I couldn't believe how quickly it played out. Such incredible work, honestly, on behalf of multiple agencies," said Madison.
At some point, the burglars ditched the getaway car and left some goods behind, family heirlooms with sentimental value.
"Inside that car they found my mom's pillowcase of jewelry. So in a crazy twist, we were able to get some of that back," said Madison
The Weils are still shaken, but thankful to the deputies who responded in a flash and the fact they only lost belongings.
"Mostly I just feel grateful my daughter and I are fine," said Jay.
The OC sheriff says it's unclear at this time whether this burglary is related to others in the neighborhood. One person is in custody from the July 13 burglary, but there are more suspects out there.
