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Valinda Teen Keeps Camera Rolling As He Helps Catch Burglar In House

VALINDA (CBS) — A Valinda teenager is being hailed as a hero after coolly helping deputies collar a burglary suspect who broke into his house.

Francisco Gonzalez, 15, was home alone Tuesday doing schoolwork when he heard the doorbell ring several times. Because his mother had told him never to answer the front door when she wasn't home, Francisco instead turned on his video camera and narrated his way to a window to see who was calling.

"All of a sudden I heard tapping toward my sister's bedroom," he said. Then he heard glass shatter, so he grabbed a phone and called the sheriff's department.

The video was still rolling, so Francisco could be heard talking to dispatchers.

"Oh, they opened a window," Francisco can be heard saying on the video.

The video darkens as Francisco hides under pillows in a corner of the room. The burglar is at one point standing just inches away from him.

"His feet were like right next to my head, I could actually see him," he said. "I was terrified. I did not know whether or not I should just stay still or try to take him on myself."

Deputies soon arrived the home and rang the doorbell. The brazen burglar answered the door and told them he was the owner of the house, but deputies knew he was lying and took him down.

Authorities commended Francisco for keeping a cool head.

"I would say most people would probably tend to panic in a situation like that, confronted with a burglar inside the house," Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Westphal said. "I think he showed great poise and maturity in being able to do that."

The burglar was later identified as Aurelio Hernandez and was being held on $50,000 bail.

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