CBS2 Exclusive: Fair Lawn Burglary Victim Tracks Down Man Who Allegedly Robbed His House

FAIR LAWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A quick thinking crime victim turned into a crime fighter.

With the help of surveillance cameras a Fair Lawn man recognized the suspect who allegedly broke into his house on Wednesday.

"Stuff all over the place, I notice this little box that he keeps his money in. It's open on the bed and the moneys gone, so I'm like 'oh my gosh we've been ripped off,'" John Bogdanffy explained, speaking exclusively with CBS2's Brian Conybeare.

Surveillance video from a neighbor's house shows the suspect walking down Essex Place. The suspect was still inside when John got home.

"When I came in the guy was still in here and I scared him, and he bolted out the front door," he said.

It's also visible on the surveillance video.

The man ran off wearing a grey hoodie, blue jacket, and baggy grey sweat pants.

At about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, John was driving on Morlot Avenue when he saw a guy walking down the sidewalk who looked an awful lot like the suspect in the video.

"It looked just like the guy, wearing the same clothes and everything," he said, "So I go around the block and I come around real slow and I take a picture with my phone."

John called the police, and then had a surprise confrontation.

"The guy approaches my car and says 'what are you taking my picture for?' I said, 'well my house was robbed, and you look like the guy in the video,' and he says, 'video?' and he takes off running,'" he explained.

The alleged burglar, identified as 22-year-old Abdulla Taylor, was caught by police hiding behind a car on 12th Avenue in Paterson.

"It's kind of a bad feeling to get your house ripped off and it's a good feeling when they catch the guy," John said.

With a little help from the victim himself.