LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – A Centennial Hills family has a message for others after a burglar was filmed walking around their home while the family slept upstairs.

WATCH | Watch this video that shows how a person sneaked into this house without a trace. This could happen to you too if you have a pet door.

Man breaks into Las Vegas house through dog flap

“That was the last thing we thought would happen,” said one resident.

Although the victim did not want to reveal her identity, she told me last Sunday morning that her boyfriend’s wallet had gone missing from their home near Deer Springs and Durango.

“We started taking the house and the car apart, using video footage,” she said.

So they checked a small hidden camera in the kitchen…

What did you see when you looked through the footage?

“We saw someone was in our house. Four minutes after we went upstairs, someone crawled through our dog door. We saw him sniffing around the house for about five minutes and then he left,” she said.

Your reaction when you saw this?

“We were in shock. None of the doors were broken down… we didn’t expect anyone to be inside,” she said.

You can also clearly see the man leaving the house through the dog flap.

The camera was able to get a pretty good look at the person with the seemingly unusual facial tattoo.

The resident took to social media and people nearby came forward to say they too had seen a similar person in their gardens.

She told me that she received a call from the police on Monday evening.

“They were able to identify him from the photo,” she said.

City police said 19-year-old Donjai Jones was arrested in connection with the break-in in the same area. And according to court records we found, he was also charged with drug possession.

I spoke to another neighbor who told me he had heard of recent burglaries in the area.

“Now that I know what happened, I want to better protect my home,” he said.

The victim said her cats use the pet door, but she told me she has now removed it from her sliding glass window.

If you have a dog door, you can further protect yourself and your home by placing a plastic strip inside the door. This will prevent the door from being opened and can stop intruders.

Another solution is to purchase an electronic dog flap that only opens when a device (usually on the puppy’s collar) approaches it and opens the flap.

The victim said she bought the indoor camera after not one but two of her handbags went missing last year. Now she’s wondering if they also got into the house through the dog door.

Was it a good investment in your case?

“Yes, absolutely. It was the best way to get a face photo,” she said.

If you believe you have been the victim of a burglary in the Centennial Hills area, LVMPD would like to hear from you. Please follow this link for information on filing a report.