SAN DIEGO — A Scripps Ranch man says an encounter with unexpected visitors at his home has left him rattled, and now he wants others to be aware.
CBS 8 recently reported on aggressive, masked doorbell ditchers frightening San Diego County neighborhoods.
Jim Kollars initially thought the same thing was happening to him, but the banging on his door went way beyond that.
Kollars says there were two other people with the door knocker who attempted to break in.
“It rattles you to the bone, nothing like this has ever happened before and I hope it never happens again,” said Kollars.
Kollars took pictures showing a dark grey Mercedes with at least three males inside.
He says the group showed up to his Scripps Ranch house Tuesday afternoon, a visit that was both unexpected and anything but subtle.
"It was about ten minutes to 3:00 where an individual came up to my front door started beating on it. I mean it sounded like he was breaking it down," said Kollars.
Not only was he banging on the door, but as Kollars peered through the peep hole, he could see the person hitting the wall next to it as well.
Kollars says it went on for about two minutes, then the male walked back to his car.
That's when he took pictures from his window, thinking the ordeal was over.
It wasn't.
“Then, two individuals got out of the car. One of them I could clearly see had a crowbar. They both started headed down the slope a bit and I thought they were going to my neighbor’s house. I still didn't figure it out. Then, I ran into the kitchen to get the phone to call my neighbor and give them a heads up and saw the perps they had hopped my fence, which was locked on the side of the house, and they were at the back window,” said Kollars.
Kollars says it looked as though they were trying to pry open the window, but got spooked and took off when they saw him through the open blinds.
Not only did he spot a crowbar, but a rope as well.
“I called 911 immediately. Police responded pretty darn fast,” he said.
Kollars gave officers the photos, hoping they could help track them down. He also gave CBS 8 a call asking that we get the word out.
Initially, he thought it could be tied to a series of so-called ‘doorbell ditch’ incidents CBS 8 reported on this week, where people dressed in dark clothing bang on doors and take off as a prank.
But, given the added circumstances in this case, he worries their intentions were much worse.
CBS 8 contacted San Diego Police and is waiting to hear if anything similar has been reported.
No word yet.
In the meantime, Kollars advises people to be extra cautious and aware.
“My intention of getting it on the news was so we could inform not just the neighbors here, but all of Scripps Ranch and all of San Diego. I never thought it would hit at my home or in this area, but they're here," he said.
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