Burglar uses 30 lb. patio stone to break into home

CHICAGO, IL -- A Chicago family's sense of security was shattered when someone broke into their home while they were sleeping.

The burglar who targeted the home in the city's Lakeview neighborhood Monday morning was in and out in under a minute. He only got away with cash and credit cards, but in some ways, he stole a lot more.

A 30-pound paving stone from their backyard is all it took to shatter the Howe family's sense of security.

"The biggest thing he took from us is the feeling of safety," said Julie Howe.

"It was very loud crashing sound," Jason Howe said.

"We heard was sounded like a car running through our house or hitting our house because our house just shook," Julie Howe said.

Just after 3 a.m., a burglar jumped their locked back fence, ignored the security system warning and broke through two panes of glass on their back door. And the Howes aren't alone.

Burglaries in the police district that covers the Lakeview neighborhood are up 68% this year; citywide, they're up 18%. And police said the bad guys are getting more brazen.

"If they can get in and out really fast, I don't think they thought there any risk regardless of how much noise they made," Jason Howe said.

The Howes are taking steps everyone can learn from: They've created a Facebook group just for their block to notify each other about suspicious activity. They're also keeping the exterior of their home lit at night.

"We know it will take a while for us to feel back to normal again. It's just so fresh in our minds right now, every little sound we're even more alert than ever," Julie Howe said.

One more reason to make sure your entire neighborhood knows when a crime has been committed: neighboring residents or businesses may have captured the burglars on surveillance video as they cased nearby properties.