Burglar Claims to be Plumber When Confronted by 11-Year Old: Cops

WILMETTE, IL - About two miles south of the ‘Home Alone’ house where fictional movie character Kevin McAllister thwarted a pair of bumbling would-be thieves 25 years ago, an actual incident of a minor being left home alone and turning away an alleged burglar took place.

Police in Wilmette responded to the 1500 block of Forest Ave. just before 8 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 for a report of a residential burglary. According to a police report, an offender appears to have observed an adult resident leave the home at 7:40 a.m., pried open a bathroom window and crawled through.

When the man was confronted by the resident’s 11-year old daughter - who was home alone - “he claimed to be a plumber then left.” The girl called her father, who alerted police.

The offender is described as a white male in his 20s, 6’2 and 240 lbs. He had light brown hair and a light brown goatee.