Cops: Homeowner's webcam helps nab burglar

Josep Valls caught a new live act on his computer monitor: a burglary in progress at his Seaford home.

Police said Valls was at work Monday in Amityville when the live video feed from his home captured the man packing his Xbox 360 into a bag. He called police, who arrested the man.

Mark McLloyd, 26, of 1672 Lakeview Ave., Seaford, was charged with burglary Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead in connection with the incident, which occurred about 10:57 a.m. at the Valls home on Washington Avenue. He also faces burglary charges in at least three other burglaries in the Seaford area in recent months.

"My adrenaline was racing," Valls, 44, said of watching the burglary via live video. "It's quite shocking."

It is routine for Valls and his wife, Dorothy, to view a live feed he set up with a webcam and public server so they could keep an eye on their two dogs -- Sally, a Maltese-Yorkshire terrier mix, and Sammie, a Maltese -- while at work. The feed takes snapshots of their den every 30 seconds and can stream live video continuously.

Monday morning, Valls' wife was watching their dogs online from her Manhattan office when she noticed a bag on the couch that wasn't theirs and called her husband.

"When I first saw the bag, I thought I would try to give the benefit of the doubt," said Valls, an information-technology analyst.

But then he saw a young man dressed in red whom he had never seen before putting several items into the bag, including the video-game system, a Nintendo DSi, jewelry, a bottle of sparkling wine and a half-empty bottle of vodka.

"At that point -- immediately -- I was shocked," Valls said. "It's not something you expect."

He quickly called 911. Nassau County police said they arrested McLloyd in the backyard of the house near the rear door where he entered without permission.

Police said they also recovered items in McLloyd's possession from a burglary earlier in the morning on nearby Cedar Street. McLloyd also is accused of two April 15 burglaries in the neighborhood, including one at the Valls' home. A PlayStation 3, laptop and fine jewelry were taken from the home in that burglary, Valls said.

SEE PHOTOSNotable LI crimes

Despite the break-ins, Valls said he still feels safe at his home of five years. The burglaries did motivate him to make plans to upgrade his software to a more advanced surveillance system.

"I'm not going to be a victim," he said. "I'm not going to give in to fear at all."