SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Days before the sale of a Del Cerro home was scheduled to close, thieves went on a shopping spree inside the house.
In the 5600 block of Genoa Drive, neighbors were jolted by something unexpected.
"It's shocking because things like that don't happen in our neighborhood," said Diane Cozey.
On Wednesday morning, at a three-bedroom, three-bath home that was well into escrow, a disturbing discovery was made by the staging company arriving to collect their inventory. The front door had been left ajar.
"Just dismayed that someone could do something like this," said homeowner Randy Arciniega.
Arciniega says his home was raided. The furniture, installed lighting, and rugs remained, but just about everything else was gone: towels, pillows, blankets, artwork, lamps, plants and other decor. Also missing was the refrigerator.
"The only thing that bothered me more is so much destruction happened," said Arciniega.
Arcieniega says his beautiful floors were carved up as the burglars dragged the fridge out of the home. The total loss? About $2,500.
He tells 10News the lockbox was attached to some PVC piping, which was found damaged. The thieves apparently yanked it off the lockbox and somehow got inside it to use the key.
Arcieniega says the biggest mistake he made was shutting down the alarm, because so many people were going in and out of the home. He believes the thieves were likely headed back for the rest of the inventory. The washer had been moved from the laundry room to the garage.
The break-in happened sometimes between Saturday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Arciniega covered the costs of the refrigerator and floor damage. The sale of the home is expected to close Monday.
