Home security cameras help catch vandals - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

There is way to keep an eye on your home - even when you're away - and more people are doing it to keep their families safe.

A home security camera helped police identify some young vandals. A camera captured one of the boys ringing the victim's doorbell as his friend held a huge boulder. The vandals were at the home of Channel 13 employee John Momberg.

"Right at about midnight, we hear this doorbell ringing several times, bing bong, bing bong, bing bong, bing bong," Momberg said.

He suspects the same boys are responsible for previous acts of vandalism. In fact, Eyewitness News spotted several security cameras installed on homes throughout the neighborhood.

"We could see very clearly these three kids came up and ring our doorbell, one of them pitches a rock at our door and hightail it out of there," Momberg said.

The boulder left a huge dent in the door.

Security expert Daniel Aasen showed Eyewitness News a wide range of business and home security cameras. He says today's technology even allows you to watch home from anywhere.

"All of these can be hooked up to a smartphone, on the Internet, you can log onto them from any personal computer," Aasen said.

Momberg's four-camera home security system is not only smartphone-friendly, but also accommodates nighttime with infrared technology. He is convinced without the security system, the young vandals at his home would have gotten away.

"In this case, it really paid off for us," Momberg said.

After learning about the video, the boys admitted the crime to police. Investigators matched one of the boys' t-shirts with what they could see in the security video. His parents have agreed to pay for the damages.

The cost of a decent home security camera system starts around $300 and some home cable companies also offer video security.