Family relieved after burglary suspect is caught

A family in Cape Coral says they are breathing sighs of relief now that the thief who attacked their home is no longer roaming the streets.

Cape Coral Police say that Christopher Tomasulo forced his way into a child’s bedroom window and that caused the window to land on the child. But this was just the beginning of the rampage through a Cape Coral neighborhood.

When Tomasulo faced a judge on Thursday morning, he wanted to make it clear he felt he didn’t do anything wrong. “I didn’t burglarize any houses,” said Tomasulo.

Cape Coral PD disagrees with the suspect’s statement. Officers arrested Tomasulo on Wednesday for breaking the window and getting into a Cape Coral home. When he did that, they say he awoke a sleeping 3-year-old.

Melissa Wild and her mother were home at the time when they heard a noise, so they went to check on the little boy. “As soon as she [the grandmother] opened the little one’s bedroom door, the guy was in the window, just took off,  and went, you know, down the road that way. And then, I came over and I came outside,” Wild said.

Wild says Tomasulo was on a bike riding away with her wallet. But she agrees it could’ve been much worse. “It could have been worse. The window could have shattered on him, or he could have gotten hurt,” said Wild.

The arrest report states that Tomasulo tried to break into another home. But, the two people inside, stopped him and held him until police could arrive and take him away.

When officers searched Tomasulo, they said they found a knife. Robert Winfield lives next door to the Wilds. “First off, why is somebody breaking into houses? Are they that bad off that they need that much help?” Winfield said.

He says he’s happy that Tomasulo was caught. Winfield says he’s committed to watching out for that grandmother, mother and her young son from now on. “The neighborhood basically watches out for itself and keeps itself safe so we’ll be a little more alert,” he said.

The family says they’re going to start double-checking their windows and doors.

The judge set Christopher Tomasulo’s bond at $142,000. He also isn’t allowed to make contact with the families of the two victims involved in his case.