A thief met a tragic end by bleeding to death after accidentally impaling himself on a fence while attempting a burglary at a home. The incident occurred in Pretoria, South Africa, where the homeowner, a 54-year-old man, was alerted by his dogs barking in the early hours of May 6. Upon investigating, he found a man hanging on the fence with injuries.
The burglar, who had stolen two MacBook laptops and an iPhone 14, was discovered by the homeowner bleeding on the driveway and was later pronounced dead by ambulance personnel. Police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk announced an investigation into the event, detailing the homeowner’s account of the break-in and the subsequent discovery of the intruder.
Following the incident, authorities will conduct an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the burglar’s death, alongside a probe into the housebreaking and theft offenses. It is common for middle and upper-class households in South Africa to implement tight security measures like spiked fences, CCTV surveillance, and private security guards due to the prevalent risk of break-ins and violent attacks.
Although efforts have been made to reduce crime rates, South Africa still faces significant challenges, with a high burglary rate of approximately 441.7 incidents per 100,000 people reported last year, placing it among the countries with the highest burglary rates globally.