A Sylvania resident was left terrified after he saw people, allegedly armed with a large knife, trying to steal his car.
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Bryan Wiseman, who lives on the Esplanade, saw the trio acting suspiciously outside his property on May 14 at about 8pm. He said one of them allegedly attempted to steal one of his cars that was parked on his driveway.
Mr Wiseman, an actor who appeared on Home and Away in the late 90s, said he was shaken when he spotted the men from his balcony.
"My dogs were barking so I looked down, and they were in my driveway. One was trying to get into my car," he said. "One of the guys also went to the front gate, that was locked, and tried to get in by jumping it. I called police and about four cars arrived within minutes. They tried to hide. They threw their wallets and other belongings into my garden."
He said police believed the men had allegedly been driving a stolen BMW. Police handcuffed the men, he said, but it wasn't until they left, that Mr Wiseman found a large knife under one of his cars. "If I had gone down while they were there, I might have been stabbed," he said. "Cars can be insured, but when someone comes yielding a knife, that takes it to another level."
Fortunately, the incident was caught on camera. "I've got a camera out the front of my house and a sensor light. But they were so brazen. I know somebody who died in the Bondi stabbings and this just brings it home. This is a quiet street. It's a reminder to keep homes locked and secure."
Mr Wiseman fears the attempted theft was targeted. "One of them apparently knew my name and knew where I lived," he said. "A neighbour said she saw the car in the afternoon stop out the front of my house, do a U-turn and drive back and forth. Kids were playing on the street at the time."
He said a few years ago, another man broke into his house. "I heard rattling downstairs and there was a guy in my living room," he said. "I said 'who the hell are you?' and he said 'you're my doctor from Summer Bay.' He was off his face. He took off when I called police and he was later charged with breaking and entering."
Mr Wiseman said there had been other recent attempted vehicle thefts in the same street. "My neighbours are worried - many of them live alone," he said. "I was the only one home at the time but I am looking after my 80 year old friend who has cancer. We haven't slept because we're frightened they might come back."
On May 15 the NSW Government introduced legislation to give police powers to scan people for knives without a warrant, in designated, public areas. It's part of a package of commonsense reforms to target possession of knives, particularly among young people, reduce knife crime and boost community safety.
