DALLAS — Vince Hunter considers himself tech-savvy, but never realized the newest "app" on his iPhone would thwart a burglary while he was out of town.
"We just checked on our phones and I've got a few Web cams set up, and we could see it unfolding as the guys were leaving," Hunter said.
The iCam — a $4.99 "app" he purchased two months ago — helped prevent burglars from stealing belongings in his home while he was 1,400 miles away in Connecticut.
On Friday afternoon, iCam sent Hunter a text message alerting him of movement inside his home.
With a few taps on his iPhone, he watched a live feed of two men wearing gloves peeking in his patio door. Seconds later, the crime-duo started throwing a brick at the glass — eventually shattering it.
Hunter and his wife, in Connecticut at the time visiting his parents, helplessly watched it all unfold on their mobile phones.
They called 911 from out-of-state as their home security system did the same in Dallas.
Minutes later, the Web cams showed Dallas police officers entering the Hunters' house with guns drawn.
They got the iCam a couple of months ago to supplement their home security system. The technology lets them peek in on their own home using Web cams set up in different rooms any time from anywhere with an app on their mobile phone.
"I've gone through sadness, and now it's anger," said neighbor Julie McDonald. "They're just hoodlums, and the fact that they keep doing this over and over again — they have to be stopped!"
The same burglars are believed to have hit McDonald's home two doors down minutes earlier, stealing electronics, jewelry, food and cleaning supplies.
The two men are suspected in a number of neighborhood burglaries, but aren't yet in custody.
A witness said the burglars drove a four-door sedan that appeared to be faded gold or beige; it was either a Buick or an Oldsmobile.
Email: jwhitely@wfaa.com
