SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - In Carmel Valley, investigators are on the hunt for leads after a burglar got creative trying to climb to his target.
Off Caminito Caroline, just before 6 p.m. Saturday, cameras caught a masked man in Ajay Panchal's backyard, looking into the kitchen.
Soon after, he tries to open the door, but it's locked. He waves to the camera, before knocking it down.
Hours later, Panchal and his wife returned from a two-week vacation to a mess.
“It was very scary. I was kind of out of control in my mind a little bit,” said Panchal.
The master bedroom and closet were ransacked. Missing were about a dozen pieces of jewelry, including two gold necklaces, given to his wife by her parents for their Indian marriage ceremony.
“They give her the necklace so she can carry it for the rest of her life … That jewelry, very emotional and sentimentally attached to us,” said Panchal.
The burglar's entry point into the home was a shattered balcony door, opening into the second-floor bedroom.
“If you talk about the top, it's about 14 feet to top of balcony,” said Panchal.
The intruder's route to that balcony is shown in photos taken after the break-in.
Under the balcony was a makeshift tower of backyard items, including a trash can and furniture. The burglar piled two patio tables on top of a trash can to climb onto the balcony and into Panchal's bedroom.
“This guy is a professional, very expert … It adds scariness. It can happen to any neighbors or anyone … He will definitely be doing this again,” said Panchal.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
