Teen girl, while home, saw man break-in on security cam, cops say

ELIZABETH — A burglar spent an hour rummaging through a house as a frightened family watched on a security camera app from their bedrooms in the same home, police said.

Claudia Rocha, 43, told Elizabeth police she and her two daughters, age 5 and 15, were sleeping inside their home on West End Place around 10:30 p.m. when the 15-year-old, in basement bedroom, heard noises coming from upstairs, police told New Jersey 101.5.

Her daughter checked the cameras on her phone and watched as a hooded man searched for valuables around the house, Rocha told NJ.com. Her daughter called her cellphone but it took three tries for Rocha to answer, Rocha told NJ.com.

Rocha posted two black-and-white videos of the man on her Facebook page. In the videos, the man appears to be holding something in his left hand.

Police said the man took Rocha's purse -- which was later found three blocks away on Monday but missing the credit cards, passport and keys that were inside.

Rocha told NJ.com that she thinks when she called police the man left the house.

The man is described by police between 25 and 35 years old wearing a white hoodie and black pants, approximately 25 to 35 years of age, slim and tall.

Police asked anyone with information about the case to call 908-558-2044.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ