Comments on: Have You Ever Been Burglarized or Robbed?

By: Shatonia

Shatonia — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:44:04 +0000

We were just robbed on 9/01/11 I feel scared to leave my house even though we now have renters insurance on what little the person left. Its a horrible feeling to not want to leave home because your scared.

By: Rose Marie Milcetic

Rose Marie Milcetic — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:39:16 +0000

I was robbed Thursday at 6 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2010. I was downstairs and heard the door open upstairs and thought it was my son or husband coming home for dinner. I called out to them and the thieves ran quickly out the front door. They got jewelry from my daughter’s bedroom but didn’t get a chance to go into any other rooms. I feel violated, scared and frightened!!!!!!!!!!

By: sue

sue — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:25:57 +0000

We just went on a family vacation last Sunday with our 2 kids and on Tuesday, we got the call that our home had been broken into and ransacked. They threw a big rock right threw our glass door in the basement and started this nightmare. They went into my son’s room and took a briefcase with money in it that he had made from working a concession stand job and hadn’t put the cash in the bank yet, they took all of my and my daughters jewlery, leaving the empty jewlery boxes for us to see, yet they left the pearl necklace and earing set that I had… they took 2 of our lap tops and my notebook, the Wii and games to go with it, my sons XBOX 360 and the games to go with that, yet left his electric guitars untouched… they also took 4 of my pillow cases to fill with our belongings, and took our cameras, camcoders, GPS system that we just bought and my Bose Wave radio and earphones.. they did leave our flat screen TV… they opened every drawer in every room, and trashed my home office, making an incredible mess.
When we got the call from our office assistant, we immediately had to get off the cruise in San Juan with only an hour before we set sail to St.Thomas… the Customs Agent had to come to get us off the ship and we had to pay over $1400 to get back home the next day to see what had happened… this cruise was something that we were planning for almost a year, saved up for it, and was so excited to be away as a family unit finally… then the call came in and destroyed this family vacation, took away my sense of safety, and I can’t stop crying about the fear I have about them returning for what they didn’t take from us. I am sick to my stomach and I have lost all desire to live here anymore. My husband is also sad and angry, but we don’t know what to do about it. The police came several times, but I don’t feel like they even cared enough to pursue looking for these theives. I feel like we were targetted, as my kids did put on Facebook that we were leaving for vacation and send it out to all of their “friends”…. which is bothering me immensely. But they we found out that 2 of our neighbors at the end of the street were also robbed the same time period and also with a rock thrown through their windows, and mostly all small electronics and jewlery taken… so now I don’t know what to think. This is destroying me and I’m having a hard time leaving this house now, with the fears that I have. What do I do now?

By: ravyne

ravyne — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:30:57 +0000

I was at my parents house the past week and today my neighbours called me to tell me my apartment had been broken into. I cannot describe how I feel,violated,angry. The burglar not only took most of my electronics,he stole my perfumes,and removed all clothes from the wardrobes and cabinets and spew them all over the house. Its the 1st time I hav been robbed and I am scared,but thanx I hav found this blog quite helpful,coz there people here who feel exactly as I do now.

By: arwen

arwen — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:54:31 +0000

Me and my fiancee’s house was broken into last week. I was gone for like 1 hour to go buy the new Harry Potter movie because I had the day off from class. They must have been watching me. When I came home the front door was shut, and I didn’t even notice it until I went to open the deadbolt and the door just pushed open. I only stepped in about a foot. I saw both cats and heard the dogs in their kennels, so I went back out to the driveway. The cops and my fiancee got to house in about 5 minutes. No one was in the house. They smashed the TV getting to the XBOX and Wii. They took both our laptops, which are just old hand-me downs anyways. The landlord was kind enough to let us out of our lease early. I just can’t seem to get over what happened though. Any knock at the door or even the sound of the doorbell on the TV terrifies me. Thinking about how terrified the dogs must have been is the worst. They are so jumpy now and it makes me feel so bad. I am so grateful that the people/person who broke in closed the doors so that the cats didn’t get out because we live by a busy street. I hate when people keep suggesting ways for us to get our stuff back. I really don’t care about the stuff. I just want to put this all behind me and move. I just don’t understand why someone would do this… I am sorry to all of you whole have had this happen to you.

By: star

star — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:47:41 +0000

I have been burglarized and robbed by my parents, yes.
While I was away for 3 months they used the spare keys to enter my house and throw away everything inside, under the banner of “God told me to do
so”, since I am Wiccan and my mum is a laical nun.
Every book, tool, but also memento, diary, picture, everything since age 5 to age 28 that held emotional memory for me, gone, thrown away, irreparably lost, as if it was thrash by people that are excuses for human beings

I feel enraged and violated so much even after 6 years I havent got words for it, never feltsomething so raw and strong andbeyond hate for someone inmy life, and can’t let this go, even though I know that this hurts myself more than anyone else

By: jessica savin

jessica savin — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:56:22 +0000

When we were kids (I was about 6) my dad gave us our first bikes. Our house was robbed two weeks later, along with the bikes. All us kids were crushed and my mom was pretty upset for days after. When my husband and I bought our first house I read books about how to avoid being robbed. One was even written by an ex-thief. Lock up before you leave the house, leave music or tv on for ‘someone’s at home’ noise, even if they ring the bell to check, they can’t be sure someone is’t inside just not wanting to answer the door.
Keep the front doorway well lit.

By: Philip Barrett

Philip Barrett — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:09:41 +0000

I’ve been robbed a few times but the first one has a nice story to it. The thieves broke into my apartment by actually breaking the entire door frame out (so much for 3 locks). They were then almost immediately intercepted by my 78 year old Iranian neighbor, disturbed by the noise & wielding a large & vicious ceremonial scimitar at them! They fled, dropping my VCR on the way out.

When I arrived the police were still trying to talk the gleaming blade out of my good Samaritan’s hands! He was screaming at the top of his lungs “in my country I cut off their hands!”

By: MSMomsmoney

MSMomsmoney — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:48:13 +0000

Yes to both.

I was robbed in my early twenties. I was living in a not so great area–and some teenager stole my purse. It all happened so quickly.

My home when I was 14 and living with my Mom was burglarized. The things they took had alot of sentimental value to me–I had a pearl and coral necklace and bracelet my grandparents had given me….

I think the burglary made me feel violated….and unsafe—-I worried about being broken into again–of course it was just me and my Mom and I was a teen…

The robbery–I just avoided the area–they probably got less than $20 out of my wallet–and cancelled the one or two credit cards I had at the time—so it was just more annoying–getting a new drivers license, etc.

By: Cap

Cap — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:40:27 +0000

oh wow… lots of these are pretty rough, especially the ones committed by stupid people you know.

although I knew that the response rate I got from my city’s police department was unusually fast, I’m a bit surprise at how long some people had to wait for a police to show up.

will respond to each story in a few moments. thanks for sharing guys.

By: vh

vh — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:18:20 +0000

Around here one big problem, in addition to the perps, is the cops. My former S.O., who lived a block from my house, caught two guys coming in his front window at 2:00 in the morning (thank heavens for middle-aged male problems that send the boys to the head in the dark of night!). He picked up a phone, called the police, and reported a burglary in progress. Then he grabbed his pistol (he’s an expert marksman, career military) and told the prowlers to freeze or he’d shoot. They leapt out the window like scared rabbits and ran off before he could (or would) pursue them. It took the cops a full hour to show up.

It also took the cops an hour to show up when the two gay guys across the street suffered a home invasion, during which one of the residents escaped out a back window and was chased up the road by a thug waving a .45 at him. That episode came to an end when the fleeing victim’s shouts brought some of the neighbors out. When the two homeowners, one of whom suffered a concussion during the attack, told the police that one of the five perps was a woman, the cops responded that the two must have picked up a prostitute and been rolled by her pimp. Guess they didn’t notice the Gay Pride flag flying out front. . . .

Then when a demented neighbor tossed three gallons of used motor oil into my swimming pool, and we proved it was him to the cops’ satisfaction, an officer told me they would not arrest the man unless–these are the officer’s words, permanently seared into my memory: “unless he kills you or puts you in the hospital.” The pool’s plaster and all the pool equipment were destroyed. Ten thousand dollars worth of damage to my property was not enough to merit an arrest.

A year later, when the same guy showed up at a bedroom window at 10:00 p.m., I called 911 and complained that a man was banging at my bedroom window. No joke: the dispatcher actually said, “Well, if he tries to get in, call us back.” Uhmmm….and why would I be calling 911 if I DIDN’T think he was trying to get in??? To the Department’s credit, they did send an officer…he showed up an hour later.

And people wonder why Americans think they should have guns?

By: Looby

Looby — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:31:28 +0000

My friend at uni had her apartment broken into, they took her hifi and a few other items. The police told her her best bet was to go to the dodgy market in town that weekend and sure enough she was able to buy back all her items, the hi-fi still had her CD in it! Also about four years ago I was moving home at the end of term and my dads car was broken into while we stopped for lunch, they literally got all my clothes except what I was wearing that day, left my textbooks behind though! It took me a long time to really get over that cause everytime I was going out somewhere I would think of something that would have been perfect to wear only to remember that it was gone. Depressing.

By: MONEY BLUE BOOK

MONEY BLUE BOOK — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:00:30 +0000

I made the mistake of parking my car in a bad area in Baltimore City one night and someone broke into my car. The city has a huge drug problem and I’ve heard stories of addicts breaking into cars to salvage a pack of coke so they can sell it for another high. Just be glad you are safe! It’s a scary world…

~Raymond
Money Blue Book

By: » Weekly Roundup: Fogo De Chao Edition » Blueprint for Financial Prosperity

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:35:34 +0000

[...] shares a harrowing story about his home being burglarized, very scary stuff that happens every single day! Luckily only possessions were taken or damaged, no [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:22:10 +0000

About 8 years ago, our family came home and realized that someone broken into our house. The scary scary part was nothing valuable was taken. (Jewelery, some cash, etc) Believe it or not, our underwear was taken. To me that was creepier because I felt violated. There was only my mom, my sister, and my younger brother. We all felt vulnerable and the police never got any leads. We moved about three years later, but I still worry once in awhile. Overall, though, I realized what happens, happens and you just deal with it.

I’m glad you and your sister were not hurt. That’s the important thing.

By: Ms. M&P

Ms. M&P — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:54:44 +0000

Someone broke into my then-boyfriend’s car when he was away one weekend and left it for me to drive. There was absolutely nothing for them to take, and I wouldn’t have even known that it had been searched through if it weren’t for the jumper cables being in the front seat. It was funny though, because for months afterwards, we blamed whatever we lost on the burglar (“they stole my Poison CD! Oh, wait…I just found it”)

By: Isaac

Isaac — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:08:55 +0000

My apartment was broken into last year while my wife and I were out of town celebrating our anniversary. The thing is the apartment wasn’t broken into, the door had even been relocked. It took several days for us to notice things gone, but once we did we filed a police report. They took my laptop, digital camera, video camera, a Warren Sapp bobblehead, and a couple of hundred dollars in change that we had saved up as gambling money for a trip to Vegas. In the end we found out that the manager’s daughter was visiting and had taken the master key and had broken into several apartments and stolen several laptops. We found this out when the manager found and returned our laptop. Talk about violation of trust.

By: Master Allan

Master Allan — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:16:36 +0000

As I am saving up and considering moving into my 1st home in the near future security is one thought that comes to mind. I have never been robbed or burglarized as one prereq. of apartment living is parking in my own garage. But my other belongings may be at risk when the back door is kicked open.

I was thinking of setting up a few cameras inside and outside of my future home along with motion detectors. Maybe some James Bond like infrared beams would also be neat. If any activity while I am not home is detected, video and notification could be sent to my cell phone. That way I could contact the police directly and not come home to a surprise I do not want.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:30:15 +0000

Yeah, I had my apartment broken into one day while I was at school. They stole my entire PS2 video game collection, and the PS1 memory cards (but not my collection of very RARE and VALUABLE PS1 games). They flipped through the 200 DVDs (which were in a CASE with a HANDLE) but didn’t take them. They also didn’t steal the video game systems … or the games inside them – so they actually ended up stealing empty cases for a few games.
They didn’t take any of the really expensive stuff…
They also smashed a ghost statue (that they brought in – wasn’t mine) all over the kitchen.
Didn’t take jewerly, CDs, DVDs, laptops, or anything else.. just video games.

By: Stephanie @ PoorerThanYou

Stephanie @ PoorerThanYou — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:23:21 +0000

My house was robbed when I was a teenager, but the bugler was so sneaky about it, we didn’t notice for an entire week. He didn’t go for the TV or the expensive stereo equipment – he went right for the jewelry. He actually took my jewelry as well, which was worth jack money-wise, but meant the world to me because he took the necklace my sister gave to me for being a bridesmaid in her wedding.

We’re actually 99% sure about who did it, but we have no proof. And even though it was 5 years ago, it still hurts like crazy to think about.