Teen suspect dies after Sanford home break-in

Sanford, N.C. — A 16-year-old suspect died from injuries sustained while fleeing from a house outside Sanford that he and other teens had broken into Saturday afternoon, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

WATCH VIDEO
Break-in suspect dies after being cut by window glass

Oscar Lorenzo Perez, 16, of 1528 Greenwood Road; Antonio Ramiro Jaimes, 17, of 25 Willow Circle; and two 14-year-olds broke into a house at 1810 San Lee Drive, deputies said.

When the home’s alarm went off, the suspects tried to flee. Perez attempted to escape through a window and was cut by glass, deputies said. The other suspects then flagged down a motorist to get help for Perez.

The motorist called 911, and Perez was transported to Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, where he died. Deputies said that shards of glass were found in his chest.

"I’m very sad right now,” his father, Oscar Lorenzo Mojica, said.

“It's tragic that this kind of thing happened, and I hope that this sends a message to anybody, especially young people, that you need to think before you enter someone's home,” Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter said.

Perez was a former student of Southern Lee High School and worked at a McDonald's restaurant, his father said.

The sheriff said even though the alarm was active, no one lived at the home. He also said he is seeing a trend in break-ins.

“Young people have broken into homes, and I have been saying for some time that something bad was going to happen,” Carter said.

"He's not here now. He's gone," Mojica said of his son's passing.

Jaimes and the two younger suspects were taken into custody on charges of felony breaking-and-entering, deputies said.

Jaimes was being held in the Lee County Jail Sunday under a $2,000 secured bond. His first court appearance was set for Monday.

The two 14-year-old suspects were released into the custody of their parents.