An Etobicoke woman who woke up when a stranger opened her bedroom door said she was scared, but unhurt, early Monday morning.
Mary Grace DeMarco thought she was home alone, and was terrified to see a black figure standing in her door frame around 2:20 a.m.
“When somebody enters your bedroom, it’s the scariest thing,” DeMarco told CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles. She says the break-in has shaken her sense of security in her own home.
DeMarco says she was sleeping when a man pried open a sliding door at the back of her Celestine Drive house, and rummaged through her things in the dark, heading toward the bedroom.
“I woke up to my bedroom door opening,” DeMarco told Crandles. “I jumped and I guess I startled him just as much as he startled me.”
DeMarco grabbed her cellphone, dialling 911, as fled through the front door of her home.
Toronto police say the suspect stole a laptop and jewelry, worth approximately $10,000.
The suspect is described as male, about six feet tall, dressed in black and wearing a bandana.
So far, police aren’t making a connection between this break-and-enter and a handful of others that have happened near Parklawn and Berry roads over the month.
However, in most instances of break and enters, a door or window has been left open or unlocked, giving thieves easy access to homes they’ve targeted.
Police offer the following advice to reduce the risk of break-ins:
- Lock all windows and doors
- Get an alarm system installed
- Use exterior lighting
- Use locks on backyard gates
With files from CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles.
