Video shows intruders breaking into home in Northridge while family was inside

Home security cameras captured the moment intruders broke into a family's home in Northridge while they were home.

Homeowner Lindsay Issler was nursing her newborn daughter when the break-in happened in early April. The mom of two came face-to-face with the intruders while she had her daughter in her arms.

"That was when my instincts just said be as loud as you can and I was just saying 'Get out, get out, I am calling the police, get out,'" she said.

The two men left the same way they came in through a sliding glass door at the back of the house, which they had shattered seconds earlier.

"The only thing I thought to do, it popped into my mind that when you see a mountain lion, you're supposed to make a lot of noise, so I figured I should act like a crazy person and be as loud as possible," Issler said.

She said she didn't see any weapons, but can't stop thinking about what could have happened.

Within minutes, Issler said police arrived and that's when she viewed the images captured on her home security cameras. The intruders hopping the fence into her backyard and then casually walking past her pool and through another gate. They then appear to be casing the property, with one masked suspect trying to hide behind a backyard tree.

The video shows what appears to be a walkie-talkie that they were using to communicate with.

"I don't know if they were assessing whether we were in the house or where we were in the house, but they were definitely casing it," Issler said.

What startled Issler almost as much as the video was the time of day the incident occurred. It was just after 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, in the middle of the work week. Issler and her husband were home with their newborn daughter and toddler son.

"Typically, you hear that they try to come in when they know you're not home. We had our light on and that's generally a time when people are home so that's very confusing to me and still is," she said. "I think they're getting more brazen now and they don't care if you're home, and there is so little you can do to deter them."

The Issler's have multiple cameras and an alarm system, although it wasn't on at the time of the incident, since they were at home. But experts said there's more you can do to harden your home.

Suggestions for hardening your home:

• Add glass-breaking sensors to windows and sliding doors
• Consider installing shatter-proof safety film
• Leave a car parked in the driveway
• Remove valuables from the primary bedroom, where thieves often go first
• Install locks on all side gates, garages and sheds
• Install bright lighting around your home
• Bring in your mail every day
• Install a wire cage around your electrical panel
• Get to know your neighbors

Issler's next door neighbor's dog could be heard barking on their security video when the intruders hop the fence, but none of her neighbors saw anything.

"We all need to look out for each other as a community and we need to be very vigilant," she said. "We need to know who is parking on the street and really looking at that suspicious activity whenever we can."