SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Surveillance video reveals a City Heights man was seconds away from a showdown with an armed intruder who got away with a "priceless" stone.
Along 41st Street, past 6 p.m. Friday, a man whose face is hidden by a bandanna, was recorded creeping into D.R. Peck's back yard from a canyon.
"The full mask is the scary part. Notice he has gloves," said Peck.
In the video, the burglar discovers an unlocked door and enters a bedroom. More than 10 minutes later, he emerges with a briefcase. He drops it off before heading back inside.
Not long after, the cameras show Peck wheeling in the trash can near the front of the home after returning home from running errands. At the same time, the intruder — likely hearing Peck return — bails out of the house through the back entrance. A flash of a knife seen in his hand.
"I walk in and see a mess ... Oh my God. Someone's been in my house," said Peck.
Amid the ransacked bedroom, there were missing items: electronics, a special edition "The Flash" comic book worth more than $500, jewelry, and a red heart stone that he bought for his wife Wendy 10 years ago after proposing. It wasn't expensive, but it was priceless.
"She knew she was loved, exactly what I was wanting to say to her," said Peck.
The two were only married for 27 days before Wendy died after a battle with ovarian cancer. Peck kept that heart stone close to his heart.
"When I looked at it, it reminded me I had soulmate, and her and I were that," said Peck.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
