PSJ Burgalars

Port St. John made it on the news but not in the way we'd like to be known. Watch the video and read the complete story on wftv.com

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Three Brevard County men are in jail after deputies caught them red-handed on hidden surveillance as they robbed an elderly man in
his home.

Surveillance video set up by deputies inside the victim's Cocoa residence caught the three men walking through the home on Monday morning. The suspects had no idea they were on video that was being monitored by deputies.

The homeowner agreed to let detectives install cameras in his house that provided a live feed back at police headquarters. When detectives arrived at work Monday morning, they were surprised at what they saw going on inside an elderly man's home.

Three men had broken into the home and were about to take an elderly man to empty out his bank account.

"We actually saw a live shot of the home invaders inside the home with masks," said
Sgt. David Marich, Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

The video system had been installed weeks earlier because the victim was being targeted in an extortion plot.

With a crime happening before their eyes, deputies were dispatched to intercept the burglars and found them just about to leave the home to force the 87-year-old to empty his bank account.

"One was in the car when we converged on the residence with the victim and they were going to drive to the bank and make him get money out before they would release him," said Sgt. Marich. Investigators say Christopher Comella, Anthony Millar and Matthew Zachas are now behind bars facing home invasion and kidnapping charges.

Detectives say the three men have been in trouble with the law before.

"This is a group known in the Port St. John community as burglars. They have extensive criminal histories. In this case, they just took advantage of his age," said Sgt. Marich.

Deputies say during the initial extortion incident that led to the surveillance a man and woman knocked on the homeowner’s door pretending to be police. Detectives believe the man involved was one of the three arrested. They say the investigation is ongoing and they are working to determine the woman’s identity.