Half-naked man arrested again for trying to break into another home
Josh, who only wished to use his first name, is still ratted after watching a security video of a half-dressed man entering his Mid-Wilshire apartment.
"He hopped the gate to our backyard and walked through the courtyard," he said. "Kind of removed most of his clothing except for his underwear."
Josh regrets leaving his door unlocked that fateful Wednesday night in January, which gave the intruder easy access into his home.
"I was pretty scared. I didn't know what to do," he said. "It really seemed like someone who was drugged out and lost."
Josh called the police after spotting the burglar in his hallway while neighbors helped subdue the half-naked man until officers arrived.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Gage Roth. He is also accused of prying his way into a Van Nuys home in June 2021 and breaking into another apartment, again half-naked, as 12-year-old twins were sleeping.
Roth previously served time in prison and had been arrested for burglary five times since 2019. In addition to the burglary charges, he was also booked for other crimes involving drugs.
Josh said while he's shocked the suspect is back in custody, he hopes this incident is a reminder for people to secure their property and remain vigilant.
"We do get some weird stuff happening occasionally," he said. "We're kinda used to some odd things happening but... we got to be a little more careful about locking our doors and whatnot."
