Family woken by intruder
‘‘I quickly ran into mum’s room and said ‘there’s someone in the house’.’’ Micayela Grant, 15
A mother and her two teenage daughters have been left terrified after waking up to find a hooded intruder in their bedrooms searching for valuables.
Early yesterday the person entered 13-year-old Jasmin Grant’s room in Whaler’s Gate, New Plymouth, went under her bed and grabbed her hoverboard while she slept.
The intruder then went to her 15-year-old sister Micayela’s room, searching by cellphone light while she watched from her bed, frozen and unable to say anything.
‘‘I sort of woke up and was thinking ‘who’s that?’. At first I thought it was my uncle.
‘‘Then he walked out, closed my door and walked into mum’s room and then I heard his jacket and heard him walk up the stairs, so I quickly ran into mum’s room and said ‘there’s someone in the house’.’’
But her mum, Judith Hazelgrove, already knew.
‘‘I woke up at 4am to him entering my room,’’ Hazelgrove said.
‘‘As soon as he opened up the door, I stared and looked at him and he just walked away, backpack on and jacket with the hood on, and just went upstairs and took every second step.’’
Hazelgrove couldn’t believe the person continued on upstairs after she had spotted him.
‘‘I freaked out and then was like ‘this isn’t right’ so yelled out ‘oi, who is it?’ and woke everyone up yelling ‘there’s someone in the house’,’’ she said.
At this point, the seven residents began to rise, including Jasmin, who was terrified to learn the intruder had been where she slept.
The intruder bolted, leaving the hoverboard behind.
‘‘We could hear him running down the driveway which was a relief he was out.
‘‘He didn’t get away with anything.’’
But Hazelgrove’s adrenaline was pumping and she decided to try and find the culprit herself in her car, speaking to people she passed.
‘‘I was on the phone to 111 at the same time.’’
The teenage girls slept elsewhere last night but Hazelgrove was left wondering if the intruder would strike again.
‘‘I sleep with my stereo on all the time but I’ll be turning that off now so I can hear everything.
‘‘It’s not easy being in the same areas you know he’s been in.’’
Hazelgrove had contacted her landlord to better secure the doors and has installed security cameras.
‘‘It’s only a camera, it’s not going to stop anyone from coming in though. It’s not going to help anyone sleep any better at night,’’ Hazelgrove said.
New Plymouth sergeant Bruce Irvine confirmed the burglary had been reported to police and was being investigated.