Staten Island

Staten Island homeowner sees burglar on doorbell cam, races home to catch him in act

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A Staten Island homeowner watching a burglary in process raced home to catch the thief, resulting in a backyard "scuffle" that ended with the suspect bruised and in handcuffs.

The homeowner, who wished to be only identified as Chris, wasn't event home Saturday morning when he noticed on a doorbell camera that a man about to burglarize his house on Midland Avenue. He was heading to Brooklyn and said the camera is often triggered by passing buses, which has led him to stop always checking the notifications.

But was glad he checked this time. He looked just in time to see the stranger rattling the doorknob, trying to force his way in through the front door before heading to the backyard.

"Immediately I call 911, I tell them, 'Hey I believe someone is trying to break into my home,'" Chris told NBC New York, and added something else as well. "I told police when I called 911 that I was gonna engage with him."

Chris returned home to find the burglar right where he last saw him on the surveillance camera.

"I saw him standing in my backyard using my bag to put my belongings in it. Yeah, it was crazy," he said.

Chris said the man, later identified as Seth Flint, had gained access to the home via the back door. That's when he snuck up behind the alleged burglar.

"I snuck up behind him, got into a little scuffle," said Chris.

The fight left Flint bloodied and bruised, as he was seen on Chris' cellphone video picking up his shoe. Chris said that's when Flint took off down the block. He followed the suspect for two blocks before turning him over to police.

Doorbell camera footage shows the man who allegedly attacked staffers at a congressional office chasing a woman with a bat.

Though overall crime numbers are down for the city, burglaries in the precinct where Chris lives are up 41% so far in 2023 compared to the previous year.

"I’ve had my car broken into before...It’s like an invasion. It just feels like somebody is violating your property," said Chris.

Chris is proud of the one-bedroom home he bought just over a year ago, and said he has since ordered more cameras to protect it.

"My little bungalow is gonna be the safest house on Staten Island," he said.

Flint appeared in court on Sunday on burglary charges. He was released with a restraining order and is next scheduled to appear in court in July. NBC New York was unable to contact an attorney for Flint.

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