Several Wasilla residents are praising surveillance imagery taken during a home burglary last week which led to the arrest of two suspects -- and also went viral on social media.
The homeowners, who have asked for their names to not be reported because of fears of another break-in, say the robbery happened Jan. 22 while they were running errands in the afternoon.
“It’s very scary,” one of the homeowners said. “You feel like you’ve been violated.”
The burglars took electronic equipment and a laptop.
Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters says an investigating trooper recognized a suspect in surveillance video from the home, which a friend of the homeowners posted photos from on Facebook.
About 24 hours after the photos went online, AST arrested two male suspects for the crime. At that point, troopers had received more than eight tips from members of the public who had seen the men's faces.
Troopers say the homeowners' video surveillance was a huge help in finding the suspects.
The surveillance equipment was bought at Costco for a few hundred dollars.
“The power of social media… it’s just crazy,” the homeowner said.
Editor's note: The sequence of events leading to the arrest of the burglary suspects has been clarified by Alaska State Troopers.
Contact Rebecca Palsha
