Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania and her boyfriend Paul Connell recently opened up about a terrifying experience, their home was broken into while they were away, and the intruders used a blowtorch to get in.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, Dolores casually dropped the bombshell:
“Our house got broken into last week,” she said.
Host Jeff Lewis was stunned: “What?”
Dolores repeated, “Yes, or two weeks ago. They came in with a blowtorch.”
“What are you talking about? What?!” Jeff exclaimed.
Dolores then turned to Paul: “Tell them, Paul. Oh, you don’t wanna talk about it?”
Paul didn’t hold back: “I don’t care.”
They Were Filming in Rhode Island When It Happened
Dolores explained that the couple wasn’t home at the time of the break-in.
“We were in Rhode Island,” she said. “As I told you before, I would be doing some cameos on the new Housewives of Rhode Island, and we were filming.”
Paul had his phone off and was “performing for everyone” while “drinking tequila,” Dolores added, when her own phone started blowing up.
“I saw it was his son,” she said. “I always answer for the kids, even if I’m in the middle of filming. [He] goes, ‘Is my dad there? The house just got broken into.’”
Paul said Dolores’s reaction was intense:
“Now the reaction scared the shit outta me… I thought something happened to one of my kids or somebody’s child.”
High-Tech Break-In Method
The break-in was anything but typical. The intruders used a blowtorch to heat the window glass instead of breaking it directly.
“Apparently they came in with a blowtorch,” Dolores explained. “They broke the window. They heated it so that it wouldn’t set off the alarm, so it shatters without setting off the alarm.”
The house was equipped with a high-end security system.
“He has like the most insane alarm system. It’s like, ‘Intruder, intruder, get out,’ and it was like screaming at them.”
Even more shocking, nothing was stolen.
“They didn’t take one thing,” she said. “’Cause the cops were there how many minutes later?”
Paul responded:
“Between the time that they left and the cops got there was 20 seconds.”
A New Burglary Trend?
Jeff asked how long the burglars were inside.
“They were inside the house for about a minute and something,” Paul said. “They were eight minutes trying to get in because they used this torch because the glass was tempered.”
Paul explained the alarming technique:
“Rather than smash the glass and set off the alarm, they heat it. It’s a new thing that they’re doing.”
Apparently, the system’s glass break sensors didn’t trigger because the sound wasn’t sharp enough.
“You have a glass break sensor that only goes off when the pitch is high,” Paul explained. “When you heat it, it shatters without cracking and then you just push it through with your hand and walk in.”
Though the alarm didn’t go off immediately, Paul said:
“We have a motion detector… but it’s silent for the first minute and a half, which they didn’t know. Everybody knows now.”
Dolores added:
“And I think the loudness scared him.”
A Warning About Posting While Traveling
The couple believes that sharing their location on social media played a role in the timing of the break-in.
“I want everybody to know this,” Dolores said. “We all love to post when we’re out and we’re away. Paul posted that day that we were in Rhode Island.”
Jeff jokingly replied: “Great job, Paul.”
Dolores confirmed, “And that night we got broken into.”
Paul added, “It’s a lesson learned. And then we go to Brazil and she does the exact same thing.”
Jeff asked, “She posted?”
Paul confirmed: “Right away.”
Nothing Was Taken — But It Was Still a Scare
Fortunately, valuables were locked away.
“They could have taken your bags, your jewelry,” Jeff said.
Dolores responded, “They’re not getting in. Don’t bother breaking in our house. Yeah.”
Jeff asked if they had a locked closet.
“I don’t keep it around. Let’s put it that way,” Dolores said.
Paul confirmed, “We don’t keep anything at the house. It’s not worth it because, you know—”
Jeff cut in jokingly: “I feel like that’s a lie.”
Despite the attempted robbery, it seems the couple’s layered security system and quick police response made all the difference. Still, Dolores and Paul are using the experience as a teachable moment — especially when it comes to sharing real-time updates online.
“It’s a lesson learned,” Paul said.