TAMARAC, FLA. (WSVN) - UPDATE: The person called a person of interest in this story has been cleared.
Newly released security footage has given a new view of a man who, authorities said, is a person of interest in a home burglary.
The surveillance video released Monday by Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives is of a man outside the same house who is possibly connected to the crime.
According to investigators, the burglar broke into the residence on Thursday while claiming he was with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and stole irreplaceable heirlooms and other items.
As BSO detectives continue their search for the burglar who, they said, forced his way into the home, they are hoping the new surveillance video will help them locate the person of interest.
The victim, Lisa Lyttle, spoke with 7News on Monday about the incident.
“At 8:21 p.m., nine minutes before the glass broke, somebody was knocking on the door,” she said.
The man is seen knocking on Lyttle’s home on Sanibel Drive just minutes before the break-in.
“They did go to the neighbors’ houses, too, to see if anyone had knocked on their doors, too, and everybody said no,” Lyttle said.
The burglary itself took place at around 8:30 p.m.
Investigators said the burglar got inside after breaking a sliding glass door. As he made his way upstairs, he identified himself as a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy.
When Lyttle arrived at her home, at around 9 p.m., she found the place trashed.
“I just came around the living room, and that’s when I saw the glass all on the floor,” she said. “[Upstairs], everything had been ransacked. All the drawers open, clothes everywhere.”
The burglar took off with more than $1,000 worth of jewelry and other items.
“But the main thing was an heirloom, a diamond heart pendant that had been passed down for generations in my family,” Lyttle said.
Police are now hoping to catch the man who broke into the home claiming to be a deputy, and hoping the man seen outside holding an AT&T binder may have some information for them.
“Maybe he really was a man who was going door to door, selling cable stuff, I don’t know,” Lyttle said. “But they just want to see if there was some sort of connection.”
Because of the binder, 7News has reached out to AT&T. As of late Monday night, they have not responded.
Anyone with information on this burglary is asked to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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