SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Residents on Santa Barbara's Mesa are on alert after a vacant home was broken into and vandalized.
Alert neighbors realized people had broken into the vacant home and vandalized it. They approached the people they thought responsible, who took off... only to return the next day.
The neighbors were tipped off something was wrong when they realized the garage door was open and a window was left open.
"Graffiti all over inside, punched-in walls drug paraphernalia all over, smashed vanity mirrors," Tiffany Haller, one of the neighbors, said.
Caught on surveillance video, Haller is seen approaching a car with people inside who she believes are responsible. They didn't want to talk to her.
"They tried to pull out and instead of hitting me, hit the car in front of them," Haller said.
Haller posted photos of the vandalism and the car on social media and it caught the attention of a 12-year-old neighbor. The very next day, as that boy was outside waiting for his ride to school, that same car he recognized from social media, was now parked in his driveway.
He hid and called 911 and police showed up to investigate.
"It was a very important thing that he saw that and was very smart and brave," Haller said.
The people in the car, believed to be two women and three men took off.
"We are a neighborhood that keeps track of what's going on and we wanted them to know we have a presence here and we don't put up with people showing up and coming to homes that are vacant," Haller said.
Santa Barbara police would only acknowledge that they are investigating but won't release any additional details at this time. They said the investigation involves three juveniles.
