WATCH: Homeowner Uses Motion-Activated Sprinkler To Scare Off Thieves

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (CBS Local) -- A California homeowner who was tired of dealing with thieves prowling her neighborhood took matters into her own hands and turned a sprinkler into a security system.

Katie Camarena says crooks have been stealing tools and whatever else they could get their hands on out of vehicles in her neighborhood in Porterville, about an hour north of Bakersfield.

"Our flood light didn't seem to scare them off, so we decided to have a little fun with a motion activated sprinkler that has an impressive amount of pressure," she wrote Thursday in a post on Facebook.

The plan proved to be very effective.

Surveillance video captured early morning on Feb. 25 shows someone on a bike with their face covered riding up her driveway in the middle of the night.

As the visitor approaches a truck parked in the driveway, a sprinkler in the cargo bed is activated and he's met with a powerful jet of water.

The person on the bike ducked, spun the bike around and quickly peddled off into the night.

Camarena said she ordered the sprinkler from Amazon.