CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Police are searching for whoever is responsible for at least 16 home burglaries in the Chula Vista area in recent weeks.

Chula Vista resident Marisela Estupinan said it was a hectic afternoon the day an intruder walked into her home. She said she was cooking and her children were upstairs. Estupinan also said the front door of her Chula Vista home was unlocked.

"He walked into my house and [got] the purse and just [left]," she said.

One neighbor's husband saw the thief, confronted him and received a bizarre reaction.

"[The thief] said, 'Hit me in the face but don't call the police,'" said Estupinan. "He dropped the purse and just [left]."

The thief is described as a white man in his mid 40's with blond hair. He weighs about 150 pounds and has a scruffy appearance.

The man got away with nothing from the Estupian home, but Chula Vista police found similarities to 16 other home burglaries that occurred nearby since Dec. 4. In most of the burglaries, guns, jewelry and electronics were stolen. All of them took place in broad daylight.

A few weeks ago, Chula Vista resident Patricia Guareca and her family came home from church and thought someone was in their home.

"My husband just ran to check out if somebody was still there," said Guareca.

Fortunately, there was not. However, Guareca said she does not feel secure.

"You feel not safe in your own home," she said.

Estupinan said she will make sure the front door is locked and said she is telling her children to be careful.