Man Installs Security Camera After Burglaries, Catches Intruder On It

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- After a series of burglaries in Perry Hilltop, one homeowner installed a security camera -- and captured footage of a man breaking into his home yesterday.

After Sam Sero's neighbor came over to tell him about a break-in at his own home, Barb Sero went out the next day and purchased security cameras.

That was the end of last week, which means the freshly installed cameras were rolling when a man appeared on the Sero's front porch just after 10 a.m. yesterday morning.

In a series of camera shots, the man is seen looking in the front window of the home, then picking up a piece of firewood and throwing it through the window next to the front door. He then crawls through the shattered opening.

Other cameras show the intruder going upstairs and into bedrooms before emerging from the master bedroom, clutching a handful of what Sam and Barb Sero say was expensive jewelry.

Sam Sero watched the videos on his computer. "You know the whole time he never got that cigarette out of his mouth. From the time he breaks the window and goes in till he comes out is two minutes," he comments.

Police have identified the man as 49-year-old Dane Quinlan. While the Seros say two of their neighbors' homes have been burglarized in recent months -- one just two weeks ago -- the police say Quinlan is only wanted for yesterday's break-in at the Seros' house.

"My wife feels violated. I don't look at it that way," Sero says. "I think there is some nut case out there who wanted money. I feel angry, I want the person caught and I want it to stop happening."

Anyone with information on Quinlan's whereabouts is asked to call Pittsburgh Police at 412-323-7800.