APOPKA, Fla. – A burglar hid in a backyard pool to avoid being arrested after authorities tracked him down for trying to break into an Apopka home, police said.
Surveillance video helped Apopka police find Joshua Arpaia, 40, who is charged with attempted burglary.
The homeowner, who didn't want to be identified, told News 6 he got an alert on his phone Tuesday afternoon while he and his family were vacationing a few hours away.
When he clicked to see what was going on, he saw surveillance video showing a masked man at his back door.
"A whole range of emotions goes through your mind and at first, you're kind of shocked. And then you have a little element of fear and then you just get mad," the homeowner said.
The man peered through the windows with a bag on his side.
The homeowner called police while his wife sent the video link to authorities to help identify the man.
"The officers were using K-9 unit tracking in the back. They had seen them run initially and they were passing through the neighbor's backyard. The neighbor had lights on. They saw him in the pool and so they just waited for him to come up for air," the homeowner said.
The homeowner bought the cameras after his mother's home next door was robbed while she was outside.
After this incident, he's since ordered more.
"If we had not had that previous incident then we probably wouldn't have had the cameras," said the homeowner.
Arpaia is in the Orange County jail.
He is also charged with failure to appear for previous charges.