Newly installed camera shows man trying to break into home with knife, Ohio cops say

Days before a neighbor tried breaking into her Ohio family’s home, Megan Allen installed a Ring doorbell camera because he made her uncomfortable, according to local reports.

“He had offered to mow the lawn and came across as just trying to be a friendly neighbor, but his vibes were very, just aggressive to say good morning and good night, and beautiful lady, this and that,” the mother said, according to WLWT.

She installed the camera on Nov. 5, the Ohio TV station reported, and on Nov. 7, she received an alert signaling her to an attempted break in.

“At midnight I got an alert from my Ring app of motion at the front door and I saw a video of my creepy neighbor with a hoodie on trying to jimmy my front door with a knife,” she shared to Nextdoor, a social app that connects specific communities, allowing neighbors to share updates with each other.

Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan shared a screenshot of her post to his Facebook page confirming the incident.

“I called 911 and tried to scream at him that I was calling the police but he didn’t stop until he heard the police coming,” the post continued.

Synan says his department was called to the home following a report of a man, armed with a knife, trying to pry open a door and force himself inside. As police arrived, he says the man ran away but was later caught and arrested.

After the man was captured in nearby woods, he told police he was trying to save the woman from “a big man he saw,” according to WLWT.

In his Facebook post, Synan described it as an “isolated incident,” but a “frightening situation.”

“There were previous behaviors that made the victim uncomfortable enough to purchase and install a camera,” he said.

The man faces charges of attempted burglary, obstructing official business, criminal trespassing and carrying a concealed weapon in connection to the incident, police said. He was booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center as he awaits arraignment.

“Thank goodness for my ring and Newtown & Mariemont police,” Allen’s post says. “They probably saved my life!”

Synan says police will be working with the courts to help Allen obtain protection orders against her neighbor.

“We share the concern of the victim of this person getting out, being back in the neighborhood,” he said.

‘Inspiration of strength’

Following the attempted break in, Synan wrote that he commended Allen for creating a plan and making her home a safer place to be by putting up cameras and alarms.

“Her courage, trusting her instincts and ability to remain calm is so impressive,” he said in a follow-up post. “She continued in that courage wanting to tell this story, showing she was not a victim, instead prepared.

“Ms. Allen is an inspiration of strength.”

Newtown is about 10 miles east of Cincinnati.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Newly installed camera shows man trying to break into home with knife, Ohio cops say."