We’ve all been there: you snap a quick selfie, set your phone down for a moment, and then forget to take it with you when you leave.
For one California man, that mistake wasn’t a harmless, possibly iPhone-costing blunder – it was the break police needed to identify him.
That’s because he snapped said selfie while allegedly committing an armed invasion of someone’s home. Police say he then forgot to take his phone, which he had plugged in to charge, with him when he fled the scene.
Carlos, the 52-year-old homeowner who did not want to share his last name, told KCRA News in Sacramento, California he came home to discover a man inside his home, threatening him with a pistol.
“He just kept saying ‘Get down, get the f*** down,’” he said. “Looking into his eyes, it’s like looking into the eyes of the devil.”
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Carlos said he fled into his bedroom, locked his door, and called 911. Once he was sure the man had left his house Carlos emerged from his bedroom to his ransacked house – and one startling surprise.
“He left his phone,” said Carlos, who discovered the device plugged into a charger on his kitchen counter.
Police later touched the screen to discover the man had recently taken a selfie of himself, still visible on the phone’s screen.
Sacramento Police are not releasing the man’s image or description at this time.
And while Carlos was happy to survive his close call unscathed, he says the incident still got him thinking more about home security.
“Even though I got away and got into the room, but for those few seconds, my life flashed before my eyes,” Carlos said.
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