Meriden Girl, 12, Survives Home Break-In by Hiding in Closet: Report

MERIDEN, CT — A 12-year-old Meriden girl survived a home burglary on Friday morning by hiding in a closet, reports WFSB-TV.

The girl was alone in the house at about 8:40 a.m. and rushed into the closet when she heard someone enter the Liberty Street home. She called the police from the closet, writes the Meriden Record-Journal.

Upon arriving on the scene, police officers found the girl in the closet unharmed.

Meriden police issued a statement to clarify that the incident is being classified as a burglary and not a home invasion, as earlier reported:

"This was not a home invasion," wrote Sgt. Darrin McKay. "It was a residential burglary in which someone must have assumed the home was empty for the day. There happened to be a 12-year-old girl inside of the home. She heard the intruder, dialed 911 and that party immediately fled out the back door. The girl is fine, there was no violence there was no weapons and this was a residential burglary and not a typical home invasion."

The suspect is described as a male, but no other description was immediately available. Police K-9 officers were called in to assist in the search for the man.

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