Man tries to break into Milwaukee home while woman is housesitting. Her reaction has people baffled

In an age that has widely used home surveillance technologies such as Ring cameras, few crimes, whether successful or attempted, go undocumented. And when a crime gets documented, it often gets posted on TikTok.

One such video is currently going viral on TikTok. A person managed to snag footage of a would-be home intruder being confronted by a housesitter.

What happened in the video?

Gracie Muench (@graciemuench) posted Ring camera footage from the front porch of the home she was housesitting in Milwaukee. The video has more than 633,000 views.

“Some man tried breaking into my best friend's house at 2:30am while I was house sitting,” Muench wrote in the caption of her video. A timestamp in the bottom right corner of the video indicated the footage was captured at 2:51 a.m. on May 23.

The footage began with a view of the house's front porch stairs leading down to pavement, which opened up to a wider shot of the surrounding neighborhood lit by streetlamps. In the video, a young man in a white baseball cap quickly ascended the steps of the home Muench was housesitting.

Briefly glancing behind him, the man moved to the window immediately adjacent to the front porch steps. After straining with the bottom of the window for a few seconds, he began to successfully slide the window up and open. Then, Muench spoke up from inside the house.

“I'm sorry, is there a reason why you're trying to break in right now?” Muench said in the video. The man immediately backed away from the window and backpedaled.

“Well I'm… I live here,” he told Muench, who calmly responded, “You don't live here.”

But the man doubled down.

“Yes, I do,” he said. Muench responded, “No, you don't.”

Stymied, the man simply said, “Okay,” and retreated back down the stairs and away from the house. The video ended there.

@graciemuench Some man tried breaking into my best friend's house at 2:30am while I was house sitting #milwaukee #breakingintomyhouse ♬ original sound – Gracie Muench

What did commenters say?

Muench's viewers seemed equal parts impressed with the intruder's gall and Muench's ability to keep a cool head. Some viewers even joked about Muench's calm demeanor.

“What dose of lexapro is this?” one asked. Another echoed, “What [dose] of Zoloft is this?”

“Gracie oh my god your reaction,” another viewer commented. Muench responded with a laughing emoji, “So many better responses that I could've come up with.”

But her viewers didn't agree. Another commenter replied, “No because apparently your response was the perfect response.”

Many commenters simply could not believe the man's gall, and were laughing at how quickly he folded under pressure.

“I live here is crazy,” one viewer wrote. A different person replied, “Like that's the best lie he could muster.”

What happens if someone tries to break into your home?

While Muench's viewers were cracking jokes in response to her confrontation, experts strongly advise against speaking to home intruders. According to CPI Security, confronting intruders is not recommended when it comes to safety.

“Never confront an intruder, even if you have a weapon, like a baseball bat, machete, or firearm,” CPI Security says. “It is better to wait for them to leave or for the police to arrive instead of escalating the situation into something that could become far worse.”

Instead, in home intruder scenarios, CPI Security advises individuals to remain calm, hide, try to escape and call the police.

Law enforcement, for its part, emphasizes the importance of prevention when it comes to home security. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD), being proactive can help prevent break-ins.

The LASD advises individuals to keep their doors and windows locked while sleeping or out of the house. The department recommends this even if a person only leaves “for a short trip.” Additionally, the department advises individuals to “make it look like someone is home” by leaving a light on or installing motion sensor lights. Installing adequate locks on sliding glass doors, windows and other entryways, as well as having a robust alarm system, can be helpful.

“A home burglary alarm system is a great method to stop intruders,” the LASD says. “These systems are like a watch dog for your home, except the alarm system has a direct connection to a security company and/or law enforcement.”

Buzz News reached out to Muench via TikTok comment.