Surveillance camera catches crooks hours after installation

BOCA RATON, Fla. (WSVN) -- Call it incredible timing or maybe just luck. A man set up a surveillance camera inside his home just in time to catch the crooks on video.

Mark Dettman installed a security camera in his Boca Raton home to protect him against burglars.

Just three hours after plugging the system in, it got its first hit. "What were they doing here? I didn't see anything getting carried out."

A pair of burglars broke into his home. The men walked in and out of his room. One of them appeared to be talking on a cell phone while scoping out the place.

While the camera sat in the corner of the living room, the system took a still shot and sent Dettman an alert on his cellphone, notifying him that two men were in his house. "I have an email motion detector inside the house," said Dettman, "with a picture of the guy."

So he rushed back home and called police. When he arrived, the crooks were gone.

The back door was hinged open, but fortunately nothing was stolen.

Dettman went door-to-door to alert neighbors now that he has high-definition evidence of the crime.

Police have yet to make an arrest in the case. They said the men were seen prior to the break-in going door-to-door posing as salesmen.

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