'It's scary': Homeowner sees man on video trying to break into house with his daughter inside

ARLINGTON, Wash. -- An Arlington homeowner caught a man on camera trying to break into his house in the middle of the day. He’s now sharing this video with neighbors to warn them and let them know how important surveillance systems can be.

“It’s disturbing, it's scary,” Ron Serica said Thursday. “I’m scared for my family.”

Serica said it’s unnerving to watching his surveillance video and see a stranger walk around his home, looking for a way to get in. His daughter was inside, alone at the time.

“That’s the reason why I invested in cameras and alarms,” he said. “You can't put any money on your family's life.”

Serica said his daughter didn’t hear the man outside. It was his neighbor across the street who noticed him lurking around in the middle of the afternoon.

“It was suspicious, because no one walks around the house and tries door knobs,” said neighbor Dave Scott.

Serica reported the attempted break-in to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives say these types of crimes are on the rise throughout the county. They say surveillance video can help them identify and prosecute criminals, if they are good quality.

“There’s a lot of security cameras out there,” said Serica. “If you can afford the nice ones, the HD ones, that's better because it will give more clarity.”

Detectives say cameras shouldn’t be placed high in the eaves of a home. If they’re lower, they’ll get a better shot of someone’s face. They also suggest pointing cameras towards driveways, to catch suspicious vehicles.

Serica hopes the man caught on his cameras will get busted before he breaks into anyone’s home. But he also hopes his neighbors will realize that they need to be aware.

“Criminals are out there, they're lurking. So lock your doors, close your windows. Don't take things for granted.”