Contractor caught on camera hijacking hose

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There was a surprising find for a family that came home and found someone trespassing on their property.

The incident caused thousands of dollars in damage.

"It's kind of creepy, someone came onto my property," said Brian Baslin, the homeowner.

Baslin was talking about a contractor who opened the backyard gate and helped himself to the homeowner hose. He wass caught on camera, stretching the hose across the patio.

"He pulled it, came across our yard and wedged it in between the fence and my fence, in between the two fences," Baslin said.

The contractor is seen going back and forth three times, adjusting the faucet. They were doing cement work for the house next door, the neighbor said they were repairing the sidewalk for the city.

A different angle shows a contractor knocking on the neighbor's door first.

"When nobody answered the door, he walks away and you'll see his head looking for water," Baslin said. "He walks to my driveway, walks back to the door immediately."

The family wasn't home at the time, but when Baslin's wife and their twin sons got home, water was spraying everywhere.

Baslin says the the water was left on for more than 10 hours. The video shows the contractor walking away without returning to the faucet.

The result was a garage filled with stuff, new Christmas presents, clothes and keepsakes packed for an upcoming move completely soaked.

The leaking water saturated the sheetrock. Estimates he got to to cut out and repair it range from $6,000 to $10,000.

Baslin filed a police report and then called 7 On Your Side to investigate.

We tracked this city subcontractor down.

The owner of the company admitted the trespass and said he would cut a check for the repair estimate to the Baslin's garage, $6,893.

"It was a relief it didn't have to cost us out of our pocket," Baslin said. "Thank you 7 On Your Side, you're the best!"

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