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Auburn police arrest suspected burglar in the act

An Auburn woman noticed a strange person in her neighborhood and helped police catch the suspected burglar in the act.

Police say 31-year-old Christopher Katinas broke into a house on Oxford Street around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The neighbor who 911 stayed on the line with a dispatcher until police arrived and helped them figure out exactly what was going on.

Katinas allegedly broke through a porch window and climbed in. Police found him in the living room and arrested him with what investigators said was a backpack full of stolen items and a gold ring in his pocket.

Police called the homeowner, Gina Murphy, while she was at work.

“They said that my house was broken into, they caught the guy inside and he had my jewelry in his pocket,” she said.

Murphy is a single mother of two who said she’s terrified, especially because her house was apparently chosen at random.

Police said Katinas admitted to having a heroin addiction and wasn't targeting any specific home.

“He told us he took the RTA bus, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority bus, to the town line and walked from there. He was looking at possible houses to break into,” Auburn Police Detective Sgt. Scott Mills said.

Now Murhpy says she's worried for the safety of herself and her children.

“I’m scared, I’m shaky, I feel sick,” she said.