A burglar startled a Back Bay resident as she was going to sleep Friday night before making off with jewelry from the home in the upscale Boston neighborhood, police said.
The man was eventually arrested hiding in the bushes down the street, Boston police said. He was detained and identified as George Correa, a 61-year-old from Dorchester.
Officers allegedly found the jewelry, money and personal items that belonged to the woman, which were returned to her.
The incident took place Friday night at a home on Marlborough Street, police said Sunday. The resident said she spotted a stranger in her home as she was about to go to bed, then ran downstairs in fear.
“The victim in the matter, while exiting from her son's bedroom, watching TV, saw Mr. Correra, standing in her doorway on the third floor stairwell, she immediately ran in fear, and called the police," said state prosecutor Samuel Jones.
She told the officers she believed the man ran upstairs and fled via a deck on the roof, according to police. She was able to describe the man and his backpack.
As officers searched for the burglar, they spotted an open window at a nearby building that was under construction and found a backpack inside that matched the description of the burglar's, according to police.
Then officers found a man matching the burglar's description lying down in bushes, with a screwdriver nearby, according to police.
“My brother is not mentally right right now," Correa's brother Ray Correa told NBC10 Boston.
Ray said his brother has had a long history of health complications that have derailed his life.
"He’s not a monster. My brother would not hurt anybody. He’s not a violent person, he wouldn’t hurt anybody," Ray said.
Correa had nine oxycodone pills on him, according to police, who arrested him on charges including breaking and entering, drug possession and larceny. He has had seven other convictions for breaking and entering cases.
The judge issued Correa a $100,000 cash bail. His next hearing is set for July 8.
