New Hampshire police said they are searching for two burglars following a dramatic home invasion that left a woman tied up for hours and her possessions in a pawn shop some 200 miles away.
Just before 11 p.m. Sunday, Christine Beebe arrived at her Charlestown, New Hampshire home. After she unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm system, "all of a sudden two guys rush her from behind," Charlestown Chief Patrick Connors told ABC News today.
The terrifying attack was caught on surveillance camera from Beebe's garage.
Video Shows Brazen Burglar Breaking Into California Home 5 Ways to Avoid a Break-In: Confessions of an Ex-Burglar Man Foils Home Burglary Thanks to Smartphone Camera App"They overpower her just inside of her door," Connors said.
"They use zip ties to bound her hands and they lead her down to the basement of the house," where she keeps her safe, he added.
Conners said the men "then zip-tie her to a post and they put a blanket over her head and demand the combination to the safe. She's in survival mode [so] she gives it up."
About 20 minutes later, the home invaders leave, carrying several duffel bags full of about $20,000 to $25,000-worth of merchandise, police said.
Beebe remained trapped in the basement overnight until Monday at about 7 a.m., when two contractors arrived at the home.
"They were going there to do some work on the bathroom and thank god that they were," Conners said. "When they get to the door they can hear her hollering in the basement... and they were shocked to discover she was zip-tied to a post."
After Beebe was freed, she was hospitalized in critical condition. She has since been upgraded to stable condition, police said.
"She was in rough shape," Conners said. "This is a major incident here in Charlestown."
On Monday, investigators learned that many of the stolen items were in a pawn shop over 200 miles away in New York City. Police are now working with the NYPD to obtain search warrants for the shop.
"We want to know who pawned it, we want this surveillance of the people who pawned it and we want the merchandise back," Connors said.
Police said Beebe's husband, Arthur Beebe, is currently serving a sentence in New Hampshire state prison after he was "involved with some stolen items through his family business."
While Conners said "the assailants knew she was there alone," he added that, in regards to her husband's crime, Christine Beebe is "not involved in any of that."
The investigation is ongoing as Charlestown police and New Hampshire State Police search for the burglars, as well as a possible third suspect who may have been driving. Connors said they believe the suspects are local.
"We're still following every lead," he said. "We have a lot of tips pouring in."