Burglar caught in the act almost walks away - then steals SUV loaded with items from home

The 52-year-old homeowner told police that she and her 22-year-old daughter were returning to their home near Packard and Golfside from a nearby store just before 10 p.m. Tuesday when they pulled into the driveway and opened the garage door.

But while they were waiting for the door to open, they could see into the home and noticed a man walking through the kitchen toward the front door, said Deputy Chief Gordy Schick.

The man walked out the front door toward the street.

"The victim yelled at him, but he continued to walk away," Schick said. "She said, 'Excuse me!,' and the suspect continued walking away from the home."

One of the women asked the man not to steal from her, since she'd just had her cellphone taken from a local retailer earlier that day, Schick said.

Then, Schick said, the man replied, "Yeah, maybe I'm returning your stuff."

That's when the suspect shifted direction, walked into the garage and used a key that he pulled from his pocket to start a 2012 Ford Escape.

According to the police report, the victim grabbed the man as she noticed her belongings in the back seat of the vehicle, but he warned her to stop - and threatened to harm her.

"The (Escape) was already loaded," Schick said. "... It was pretty bold."

Stolen items in addition to the vehicle include a television, DVD player and desktop computer with a combined value of $5,000.

Schick said there's no evidence linking the missing cellphone to the burglary.

The suspect is described as a black man about 35 years old who was wearing a grey hoodie. He is about 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighs 175 pounds.

The stolen vehicle is a black Ford Escape Limited with a silver luggage rack.

Anyone with information should contact Pittsfield Township Police at (734) 822-4911.

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