#20. The Babysitter
Savannah Jones was only 14 years old and she already had a big responsibility. Her older sister Yesenia Barragan was looking for someone to keep an eye on her toddler who was only 4 years old. Savannah was willing to prove she was grown up and could handle being a babysitter…
This is why Savannah and her four-year-old niece Zoyee were home alone during an afternoon while the big sister was at work. It wasn’t tough to care for her since they mostly watched TV or played some games in the house. But their afternoon would not be like any other day!
#19. Home Alone
Savannah and Zoey were home alone until in the evening when Yesenia would come back from work. Savannah had just finished school and was ready to begin her afternoon with Zoey.
The family lived in a quiet neighborhood in Montclair, California. But that day, Savannah would have a very unpleasant surprise. You see, at around 3:30 pm, she heard a knock on the door…
#18. Not an Ordinary Afternoon
What Savannah did not know was that her afternoon was not going to be just an ordinary day. The girls were peacefully watching TV, sprawled on the floor when they heard someone knocking on the door.
The teen knew the parents had keys to come in and no relatives announced they would come visit them that day. It was suspicious, but she did get up and before opening the door, she looked out the peephole.
#17. Someone Was at the Door
As Savannah looked out the peephole, she saw a man standing in front of the house. He was wearing a hat and, taking a better look, she realized that he was a stranger.
Was it a salesman or some sort of authority? He didn’t look dressed like one, so the teen didn’t open the door. As she was going back to the living room to get her phone, she heard the doorknob moving!
#16. A Terrifying Afternoon
Savannah’s afternoon was turning into a nightmare. In a later interview, the terrified girl said that while she was standing in the hallway, the doorknob moved. Thankfully, the door was locked. Again, the man knocked at the door!
What would happen next is, unfortunately, going to remain embedded in Savannah’s mind. Her story made headlines all around the world, shocking everyone. Here’s what happened next…
#15. He Wanted To Get Inside the House!
With a lot more persistence, the man knocked again with more force, trying the doorknob. It was clear he would want to get inside the house, no matter what. The terrified teen stopped in her tracks and then she ran towards Zoyee…
Savannah’s mind went blank, not knowing what to do. She grabbed her phone and Zoyee and ran towards the place that man wouldn’t bother to look.
#14. Their Fun Was Over
Zoyee didn’t know what to think as she saw her aunt rushing towards her. They were having fun watching cartoons, then there was the knock on the door and now they were hiding in the bathroom. She then looked at Savannah’s face and saw she was terrified!
Her aunt told her to hide behind the toiled and don’t make a sound. Someone they didn’t know was trying to get inside the house!
#13. Locking Themselves Into the Bathroom
“I had (my niece) hiding behind the toilet and I locked myself in there,” said the teen. That’s exactly when they heard the man throwing himself at the door so it would open. Savannah and Zoyee did their best to stay quiet.
Thinking of their safety, Savannah recalled that she had her phone with her in the master bathroom and quickly sent her mother a text message. She prayed her mother would see it right away. Then, the teen heard footsteps inside the house…
#12. He Was Looking For Something
Savannah hoped that whatever the intruder was looking for, he won’t find them in the master bathroom. He had enough rooms to search through before reaching the bedroom and then the bathroom the two were hiding into…
Quickly, she turned her phone to silent and began writing her mother Maria a message saying someone broke the door and got inside the house. Her mother froze when she read that message!
#11. “Mom I’m Gonna Call 911!”
“Mom I’m Gonna Call 911!” said Savannah and then explained why. She said someone was knocking on the door and tried to open it. “He is inside mom he’s gonna here me,” wrote Savannah, desperate to find reassurance.
Her mother immediately called 911 and was running towards home, which is why she was so short in her replies. Her daughter sends another message: “U call or come home or something mom.” Meanwhile, the man was wandering in the house… as the kids were hiding in the bathroom.
#10. Trying to Keep Quiet
The kids tried to keep quiet and waited to receive an answer from Savannah’s mother. She told the teen to stay hidden and that a neighbor was coming to scare the thief away.
Savannah’s blood turned to ice as she prayed for him not to reach the doorknob at the master bathroom. She had to keep Zoyee safe, of that she was sure. But what if the man would also break the bathroom door?
#9. He Began Rummaging Through the House
The man was definitely a thief, as you could hear him looking through drawers and knocking over things while looking for valuables. The man’s steps got closer to the bedroom door. In an interview with the media, the scared teen said what happened afterwards…
“I could hear him going through my mom’s room, and he came by the door where we were hiding. I was just hoping he wouldn’t know that we were in there,” Savannah said. She said she was very scared, but “not so much for myself, but just Zoey.”
#8. They Were Terrified!
The man kept ransacking through the bedroom and Savannah shook with fear, trying to be patient and not scare little Zoyee. She waited for the neighbor and checked her phone for the thousandth time to see if her mother said anything else.
Maria was panicked as well, feeling helpless and knowing she couldn’t help her daughter and granddaughter. She just hoped the police was on its way and the neighbor could at least scare the thief away from their home…
#7. Completely Helpless
“I felt completely helpless. I had to trust that my daughter would make the right decision to keep her and Zoey safe,” said Maria. The man approached the bathroom door and you could see his shadow in the small space under the door!
“I kept staring at the door and hoping he wouldn’t try to open it,” said Savannah in the interview. As the man turned the knob a little, the girls froze! Then, the concerned voice of their neighbor reached the bedroom and the thief let go of the doorknob.
#6. He Ran Away
The thief scrambled through the house to run away so nobody could see his face. Thankfully, he never got to open the bathroom door! Soon enough, police officers and even a K-9 unit got at the house to search for the invader or any track that could help them find him.
Montclair police officers did everything in their power to track the thief, but concluded that the thief must have had a partner with a vehicle since he wasn’t in the immediate area.
#5. A Good Kid!
Savannah’s sister said she was very proud of her little sister, and that she “was very smart and brave,” adding that “she did everything right.”
“I can’t even think about what would have happened if the intruder had decided to go into the bathroom,” Savannah’s mother said in an interview with the local news. “I’m just happy things turned out the way they did and that my daughter was protected during the whole incident.”
#4. He’s Out There
Unfortunately, the police wasn’t able to track the thief, and the thought of him still being on the streets and ready to strike again was terrifying not only for Savannah’s mother and big sisters, but also for the teen…
“Knowing that he’s still out there, I don’t know, it’s scary,” said Savannah in the interview. She did admit she was relieved everything finally ended.
#3. Tracking Down the Thief
The suspect was described by Savannah, who saw him through the peephole as being an African American male in his 20s. He was bald and had an average height. She also remembered he weore a dark sweater and jeans.
It wasn’t much, but at least the police knew who to look for. They were certain he won’t return to the Jones house considering it caught the attention of the police and the media. Moreover, he was in serious trouble!
#2. A Reward
You see, the police put out a $1,000 reward for those that would help them find and arrest the thief. Savannah’s story went viral after it got on the news, everyone saying the brave little babysitter was a hero!
Savannah kept her niece safe and kept her cool, while trying to keep quiet. She didn’t call the police as she was afraid she would be heard by the thief.
#1. A Lesson
Savannah’s unpleasant experience serves as a lesson to all young kids out there that are home alone. It’s always best to keep the door locked, your phone on you and hide as best as you can.
Find a way to stay safe and let the police come and deal with the home invader. This kid learned it all on her own. Hopefully she will overcome this shock she went through.