Woman watches from phone as thief ransacks presents under her Christmas tree

CORDOVA, Tenn. — After getting a cellphone alert, a Tennessee woman watched streaming security video of a man burglarizing her home, even rooting through the presents under her tree.

The tenant, who didn't want to be identified, thinks the burglar used a rock he found outside to break the sliding glass door in the Country Squire apartment in Cordova.

She was at the grocery store when she got an alert from her home security system that someone was inside. She watched in horror as he rifled through her stuff.

"While he is walking in, he's putting on his gloves and he's walking toward the room and comes back and goes through the presents under the Christmas tree. He disconnects the TV, goes back and takes the camera," she said.

This is the second time someone has broken into her apartment over the last two months.

Last time they took nearly everything but the furniture.

"He took clothes, seasonings, paper plates, candles," the victim said.

That's why she got an alarm and camera. She says this time the thief apparently didn't like what he unwrapped under the tree. But he did walk away with her 55-inch television.

"It makes me very upset. But there isn't anything that I could do," she said.

Memphis police told WREG they could say if burglaries are up because of the holidays.

One of the woman's neighbors said that he stays vigilant, adding, "So far I've been lucky."

Safety experts say to keep your tree and gifts away from the windows. Also, consider adding a video door bell to prevent thieves from pilfering packages from the porch.