Family says burglar posed as delivery driver before breaking into their Waterloo, Ont. home

A Waterloo, Ont. family was left shaken after they say a burglar posed as a delivery driver before breaking into their home.

They got a notification around 6:15 p.m. Friday that someone wearing a reflective vest and mask was at the door of their Lakeshore Village home.

Vicky Garach said she had just stepped out with her husband for the evening and her son was expected to visit shortly after the couple left, so they had turned their alarm system off.

Security footage showed the person ringing the doorbell, without a package in hand.

Garach believes the person may have also had an accomplice.

“We suspect that he alerted somebody in the backyard that nobody was home,” Garach said.

About 30 minutes after the doorbell rang, they got a notification that someone was in their home and had triggered the indoor security cameras. The video showed a masked person with a flashlight going through their things.

A person can be seen inside Vicky Garach's Waterloo home on security video.

“We don’t carry a lot of money, so they didn’t get that,” said Garach. “They did get a couple pieces of my jewelry.”

The suspect, or suspects, quickly left around the same time as their son arrived home.

“Either they fled when they saw the camera or when he was opening the door with the key,” Garach said.

When the couple arrived home, they noticed their backdoor had been broken into with a crowbar.

“I feel violated,” Garach explained. “Some stranger was coming into my personal space, and obviously, not knowing what exactly would’ve happened if we were home.”

Garach believes there was more than one person involved and they knew what they were doing.

“They snipped the motion light that would shine a big light in the backyard.”

The culprits also avoided the security cameras in the back of the home, Garach believes, by keeping their body close to the wall.

Vicky Garach's broken door.

WRPS investigating

Waterloo regional police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

They also said they continue to see break-and-enters like this one happening across the region.

“Police are encouraging members of the public to ensure all their home security devices are working and to report any suspicious activity to police,” WRPS said in an email to CTV News.

Next steps

The family says they’ve installed more security cameras, changed their locks and their backdoor.

Garach hopes this is a wakeup call to the community that break-ins can happen when you least expect it.

“Please be vigilant and [keep] looking out,” she advised.