Eastside man scares off intruder with baseball bat

A Costa Mesa man prevented a home burglary the old-fashioned way Tuesday when he armed himself with a baseball bat and met the burglar as he came through the window.

The man, whom police declined to identify, lives in the 100 block of Master Circle. At about 3:40 a.m., he awoke to sounds coming from downstairs. He had left his front window open, Sgt. Jerry Hildeman said, and grabbed his bat and went down to investigate.

Hildeman said the man found the burglar, described as a male in his 20s, sitting on the front windowsill and just about to get inside. A quick bang on the wall with the bat and a loud shout from the homeowner prompted the burglar to flee the scene, Hildeman said.

The homeowner described the would-be burglar’s car as a dark Ford Taurus or Mazda that was last seen heading westbound on Master Circle.

“We’re going to see this more as we get into summer and people leave their windows unsecured or sliding glass doors open to let air in,” Hildeman said.

— Joseph Serna