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Residents are shocked after a hidden camera disguised as a rock was discovered in a Chino Hills neighborhood.
The camera was designed to blend in with its environment and was carefully placed in a grassy area underneath a tree on a center median.
The camera was also pointed directly at James Dimapasok’s home.
“It was a camera that was covered in clay that looked like a rock, so it was very precise,” Dimapasok said. “It was on a power bank so it was a cordless camera.”
Dimapasok’s neighbor alerted him last week after discovering the hidden camera outside of their homes on Glen Ridge Drive.
“I was scared,” Dimapasok said. “My wife was crying.”
He reported the discovery to the police and was later told the camera was transmitting off nearby cell towers. Dimapasok downloaded recorded video from the camera to see if he could potentially spot the culprit.
Video from the hidden camera showed the suspect using garden gloves to tuck the camera into the dirt. Moments later, the suspect, who was wearing a motorbike helmet, rides away on a kick scooter.
Dimapasok checked his Ring doorbell camera which captured another angle of the suspect but it was too far away to see their face clearly.
Many questions still remain, including why someone would plant a camera in front of their home.
“I don’t know,” Dimapasok said. “I really do not know.”
Dimapasok and his wife believe the suspect may have been casing their home.
Neighbors in the area remain on edge, wondering what the suspect was hoping to capture. Some also wondered whether the suspect was able to watch the camera in real-time.
“This is a street where our junior high students walk,” said Julissa Castillo, a neighbor. “A lot of them do, particularly on that street. It almost concerns me that maybe they’re watching a particular child.”
The case remains under investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as neighbors remain on alert. Many have said they will be increasing their home security systems.
“I have no money,” Dimapasok said. “So whatever you’re doing, if it’s money or whatnot, I got nothing and I don’t know why you’re doing it. Just stop.”
Anyone with information on the case can call the Chino Hills station at 909-364-2000.