Boston police searching for suspect after two home break-ins in Jamaica Plain

BOSTON — Residents in a Jamaica Plain neighborhood are on edge after two frightening break-ins that police believe may be connected.

One victim told Boston 25 News she woke up around 3 a.m. Sunday after hearing her cat hissing.

“It was like about 3 a.m. and I heard my cat hissing,” she said.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she then noticed a flashlight and heard a loud noise.

“I saw a flashlight through my door and then I heard like a thud, like someone threw my cat inside the room and slammed the door,” she said.

Moments later, she said she came face-to-face with an intruder standing in her bathroom.

“We kinda just stared at each other for a second. I was holding my cat and I was like, ‘Who are you?’ And he lunged at me and was like ‘Boo!’ So I obviously screamed and sprinted to my room,” she said.

The suspect fled, but the victim later discovered he had allegedly climbed a fire escape to the third floor and entered through a window.

She said the intruder appeared to have gone through multiple rooms in the apartment.

“He just kinda rummaged through all my stuff. I know he was in my room because my laptop was found in my roommate’s room under the blankets, so he was in her room and in her bed. Really weird,” she said.

A few days later, just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, surveillance video captured a man walking down Heath Street and stopping near a nearby home. Police believe the same suspect climbed through a bedroom window there.

In that case, the victim told police he woke up to find the man pulling a blanket off of him.

Neighbors say the incidents have left them feeling uneasy.

“It makes me scared, especially living in this community, and the fact that he went into two separate homes. I wonder if it could be me too,” neighbor Claire Tubbs told Boston 25.

Tubbs said the break-ins have made her rethink her own safety precautions.

“Sometimes I forget to lock my door, so I definitely will be locking my door now,” she said.

The first victim said she is still struggling with the aftermath of the encounter and has had trouble sleeping since the break-in.

She has since installed additional security measures near her fire escape and is urging others to make sure their windows and doors are locked.

Boston police are investigating and asking anyone with information to contact investigators at (617) 343-5628.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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