Pretty freaked out!!

[big_dav_2001 (Davin)]

I've just been out with the scope, running through the usual summer sights. I usually like to have some headphones in with some music going when I observe, but I didn't tonight...

Luckily...

Listening to the usual sounds of the night, I heard one that didn't quite gel, a metallic scrape... Turned around and spotted some scumbag with a torch trying to break into my car. He mustn't have seen me in the dark... (Stupidly) I took off towards him yelling the profanities one would be expected to use in such a situation but he took off before I could grab him... Think I surprised him as much as he surprised me...

Currently sitting on the front porch waiting for the police to return from a search of the area so I can make a report.. Understandably pretty shaken up, no sleep for me tonight, but I think I've done enough observing tonight too...

I hate to think what that guy could have done if he had turned on me... Very silly move on my part... I dont want to discourage anyone, but be careful when observing guys, stay sharp, and watch your surroundings... And although I'm a bad example, don't antagonize or chase anyone who does happen to try anything...

I'll keep you updated if they find him, I'll be awake for a while... Lol

Davin

[ourkind (Carlos)]

Bloody hell man that's a shock and a half, I guess you never really know how you'll react till it happens?

My car is fully insured, personally I'd urge the thieft to take it so I could change it, I get bored of my cars after a couple of years.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I'd run too if someone called 'big-dav' with an avatar like that came running at me . I'd think that I'm about to end up as sausages.

Now that everything has turned out relatively well (you still have your car and your teeth) you can think how lucky you were. First, that you happened to be out the night he struck. From his point of view what are the odds that he would chose the car of an astronomer and that the astronomer would be out on the night he struck? Second, that he ran (though people who break into cars at 3am are probably cowards).

I'd be devastated to lose my car. I've put so many many hours into it that I'd never get back and it's getting to be a great holiday rig now.

BTW years ago a mate was awoken one night by the sound of someones breaking into his brother's car parked on the footpath. So he jumped out of bed and ran out the back door to release Bobby, the german shephard, who had also heard the noise and was going off. So Bobby ran up one side of the house and my mate ran up the other yelling and screaming - stark naked. (We tease him that it's his Scottish heritage.) He only went as far as the footpath but the dog followed for a while and possibly delivered a warning nip to some disappearing buttocks. They didn't return.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Scary stuff.
Glad all turned out ok.

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Very scary. I hope you are feeling better.

They better catch that lowlife.

Keep us informed mate.

[big_dav_2001 (Davin)]

I'd run too if someone called 'big-dav' with an avatar like that came running at me . I'd think that I'm about to end up as sausages.

Im a 6'4", 130Kg, 29 year old butcher, he's lucky i didn't catch up to him...Sausages would have been on special, nicely tenderized....hehehehe

Police questioned a guy who matched the description i gave them who was acting suspiciously, they're going to come back today to take some fingerprints from the car to try and get a match... Hope they can pin it on him...

I must have given him a hell of a shock too, he actually yelled in surprise when i came at him, and tripped over a small shrub on the way out... There's some small scratches on the car, but looks like i stopped him before he could do any serious damage...

Weird thing is, of the two cars in the driveway, he chose to try the front one, which was parked in by the car behind it... He was obviously looking for cash, or saleable items, all of which have (again, luckily) been removed from that particular car because I'm trying to sell it (they were all recently transferred to, and left in plain sight inside the car behind, which he walked straight past)

[LewisM]

Had 2 interesting nights back in early spring.

We have bushland near by at the end of the street across a crossroad. I have heard and seen many a bush turkey there, but this one night, at around 3am, the sounds were FAR heavier and definitiely footfalls in the tinder and leaves.

I kept watching that direction, happily letting my exposures run, but kept watching. The foot falls stopped - would be hard to miss me out on the driveway with a bloody streetlight 10 metres across the street. I kept watching. Something shone/reflected over in the bush, and I, whilst still watching, grabbed my nightvision scope (it intensifies starlight) - there were 2 people there, looking my way - teenagers at best, possibly older.

Teenagers or young adults, 3am, skirting suburbia in the bush...suspicious. Rang the local police station - I know these guys would love something better to do than RBT... they responded pretty quick, and searched the scrub. NEver found anyone, but they said there had been reports of petty theft around homes bordering the scrub recently.

The other time was more surreal than anything. Same - out on the driveway. Around 3am. Hear funny sounds, thinking probably a cat, when a fully grown jack rabbit appears! Stands at the end of my driveway, turns and looks at me, twitches for a few moments and sniffs the air again and starts on his way. It really was surreal like out of Snow White and the Huntsman or something!

I learnt from the first experience to ALWAYS have mobile phone, BRIGHT torch and a pocket knife in handy, JUST in case.

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Apparently our area is being targeted at the moment. SWMBO was talking to the neighbors on Sunday. They disturbed someone trying their back doors in the middle of the night and then someone had a go at breaking into one of their cars the next night.

Time for some infra-red cameras and motion sensitive lights I guess. And a more alert guard dog as Casey is almost totally deaf these days.

[grantch (Grant)]

I hadn't even thought about this yet, but luckily most of my observing is in the back yard with two dogs about to look after me.

There is nothing worse than the feeling of coming home to a house that has been broken into. This happened to my parents place and I was the first one home. You don't know if they are still in there or not.

Only freaky thing that happened at our place is that someone had gone wandering from the high dependence brain injury hospital about half a k away, and was standing at the bottom of our stairs just staring blankly when we came home one night. Was weird just watching them stand there and not move, were probably more frightened then we were. Luckily a call to the police to come pick him up solved the problem and got him home.

Will definitely start keeping the heavy maglite around now.

[big_dav_2001 (Davin)]

Originally Posted by grantch

I hadn't even thought about this yet, but luckily most of my observing is in the back yard with two dogs about to look after me.

There is nothing worse than the feeling of coming home to a house that has been broken into. This happened to my parents place and I was the first one home. You don't know if they are still in there or not.

Its a heck of a shock to turn around at 3am and see someone standing about 10m behind you, unfortunately dont have a dog to warn me. My hearing isn't the best either, unfortunately... If he had other plans, he could have knocked me on the head and i would never have known he was there...

On the plus side, he didnt see me until i got to within 2m of him, so i guess the Light Pollution at my place mustn't be as bad as i thought...

Originally Posted by mithrandir

Apparently our area is being targeted at the moment. SWMBO was talking to the neighbors on Sunday. They disturbed someone trying their back doors in the middle of the night and then someone had a go at breaking into one of their cars the next night.

Time for some infra-red cameras and motion sensitive lights I guess. And a more alert guard dog as Casey is almost totally deaf these days.

I guess that would explain the response from the police. Within a couple of minutes there were three cars on scene patrolling the area both in-car and on foot.. An amazing response on what i thought would have been a fairly minor complaint...

Fingerprinters got a promising set from the Colourbond fence he grabbed to steady himself when he tripped as he bolted... Fingers crossed..

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by big_dav_2001

Fingerprinters got a promising set from the Colourbond fence he grabbed to steady himself when he tripped as he bolted... Fingers crossed..

My ex's place in the Penrith area was broken into a few weeks back. Locks on all the windows so they broke one to get in. Nothing known to be stolen but the police said to toss out anything open in the fridge. All the DVDs had been opened to see if there was anything concealed. They seem to be after cash and jewelery. Anything bigger than an iPad seems to be too much to escape with. Computers - even laptops - are too big and not worth enough at the pawn shop or pub to be worth stealing.

Apparently "kids" had been kicking a football into people's front yards to see if anyone was home and targeting the non-responders. Another security system upgrade on the way.