San Jose hotel room burglary caught on camera – NBC Bay Area
A woman visiting San Jose on business was in her hotel room when someone started trying to open her door from the outside using a bizarre device, and she captured the terrifying experience on video.
The suspect used a device similar to a wire hanger used to unlock a car door or raise a window.
It happened around 9:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Jose Airport.
Debra said she was surprised to see it coming from under her door.
“It almost looked like a hanger that came up under the door, but it had several parts attached to it,”[ads1]; she said. “And then I saw that they were actually trying to move it over and reach for the doorknob. And that’s when I needed to just stop it with my hand.”
As he did so, Debra also called down to the front desk and hotel workers went over to help. They confronted a man and a woman.
The same man and woman Debra says she had seen through her peephole knock on her door earlier – a knock she ignored.
A bizarre and brazen burglary attempt was caught on camera. Someone tried to open a South Bay hotel room from the outside while a woman was still inside. Robert Handa has the details.
“The couple claimed they were looking for a friend and had knocked on the wrong door,” she said.
Debra told the staff that she has seen the couple before and showed them the video. But the duo managed to get away before the police arrived.
Debra said she thinks they chose her room first because it was at the end of the hall.
“So I think they were looking for some noise coming out of the hotel room. So I’m bound to make some noise. I want to keep my lights on, put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the doorknob and hopefully these things will help in the future, she said.
Debra said with a laugh that she might start staying at more Airbnbs from now on, but says that if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation, “really, don’t panic … I mean I stopped their attempt with just a couple of fingers, didn’t I right? So don’t panic. Keep calm and seek help.”
It is important that the guest called the police through the hotel, because even if no one was caught, the report alerts other local hotels and other police agencies about the burglars.
San Jose police said officers responded to the hotel late Wednesday for a disturbance call reported by management. The suspects left the area before the police arrived, the police said.
