Home burglars caught in the act, Seminole County deputies say

Woman spots suspicious group, calls police

SANFORD, Fla. – Seminole County deputies say burglars were caught in the act after an alert neighbor spotted a car pulling up to a home in the Tall Trees subdivision in Sanford on Tuesday afternoon.

The caller told deputies she saw a brown Toyota Camry, occupied by four men, backed up to a house on Greylock Court.

"I want to report some suspicious activity in our neighborhood," said the woman who called 911. "We came back from a bike ride, a neighbor and I and saw a strange car sitting in the middle of the cul-de-sac with four young guys."

Deputies arrested 18-year-old Jose Oquendo, 18-year-old Marcus Staffelbach, 21-year-old Anthony Thomas, 18-year-old Tevin Cosby and two juveniles that attempted to burglarize the home by smashing a rear window.

Local 6 spoke to a neighbor that caught the men walking by on his security cameras.

"That car was sitting on the wrong side of the road for five minutes. If someone does that in our neighborhood, someone's going to call the police."

When deputies arrived, the men had already scattered, so they set up a perimeter and started the search.

The men were found running in the Savannah Park subdivision and two were arrested immediately. The other pair continued to run, hiding in open garages of nearby homes.

They were also eventually caught.

The final two were caught in a second car deputies believe was also involved and were arrested.

The woman who made the 911 call told the Sheriff's Office she wants to remain anonymous.


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