7 Really Stupid Home Burglary Stories

Having your home burglarized is no laughing matter, but occasionally, the antics of ‘not so smart’ burglars are worth a few chuckles, especially when it ends up with them being caught. We’ve put together a list of seven of the stupidest burglar stories we could find.

1. Sleeping on the Job. According to this CBS news story, this Malaysian home burglar broke into a residence while the owners were away from home for the evening. Like Goldilocks in the home of the three bears, he decided to take a little nap before leaving the home with his goods. When the homeowners returned in the morning, they found him still asleep in the house and called the authorities before he woke up. He should get plenty of sleep time in his new accommodations.
2. Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner? This report from the Salt Lake City Tribune tells the tale of a burglar who forgot to eat before going on his nightly raid. The burglar helped himself to a couple of cans of soup while he was in the home. That may not seem so stupid, except that he obviously wasn’t as careful about handling the soup can’s as he was about other areas of the home. The police were able to identify him by the fingerprint he left on one of the soup cans he left behind.
3. Facebook Folly I – Even in a big city like Washington D.C., posting your own picture on the facebook page of your victim while you are committing the crime is a pretty foolish thing to do. The burglar posted the picture while in the home and showing off the cash and coat that he was stealing. Because the police had his photo, they were able to quickly link him to the crime when they picked him up for unrelated reasons a few weeks later.
4. Facebook Folly II - This one was in Pennsylvania. Instead of posting his picture on the victim’s facebook page, this foolish crook logged on to his own facebook account from the victims computer. If the burglar had stolen the computer, he might not have been caught. Instead, he stole two diamond rings and left the computer with his facebook account still open on the it. The victim discovered the open facebook account of a stranger on her computer and shared it with law enforcement when she reported the burglary. He was quickly identified and had to change his status to ‘incarcerated’.
5. From Ashes to …Cocaine? In this CNN report from Florida, burglars took jewelry, electronics and the cremated remains of the victims father and two dogs. It was later learned that the burglars took the ashes assuming that the powder was cocaine and had actually snorted some of it before finding out what it was they had actually stolen.
6. Charged with Unauthorized ‘Charging’ – Cellphones have been another cause of stupid burglars being foiled in their attempts to escape the law. In this case in the burglar found that his cellphone battery was running low and ‘luckily?’ had brought his phone charger with him. He plugged his charger in and attached his cellphone. In his hurry to leave when the occupants returned, he left the cellphone and charger behind, leading to his arrest.
7. Moonlighting with the Company Vehicle – A technology gadget foiled this crafty burglar. He did his burglary work while driving a company owned vehicle. Apparently unaware that the vehicle had a GPS tracking device installed under the hood, the burglar was caught when a neighbor mentioned seeing the tow truck he was driving in the neighborhood the day of the burglary.

Thankfully, the police were able to apprehend these burglars with a little help from their own ineptness. Not all burglars are this stupid. So keep your home secure. You never know when you might be the next victim.