Teenager Scares off Suspected Burglars in Her Home After They Found Her Hiding in a Closet

The teen was texting her mom while hiding under a blanket in a closet.

May 27, 2016, 12:20 PM

— -- An Oregon teen is being praised for her bravery after she scared off two suspected burglars who broke into her family's house this week.

Jensen Clark, 18, of Marion County, was home alone on Wednesday when she was surprised by a knock on the door, she told ABC News. Clark said she didn't really think anything of it until she started hearing frantic doorbell ringing.

The teen said she then immediately texted her mother, Gena Young, who wrote back, "Don't answer."

Young then called 911. The call was a total of 12 minutes long, but Young told ABC News it felt like two hours.

"I just got a call from my teenage daughter that someone is trying to get into our house," Young can be heard saying in the audio of the 911 call obtained by ABC News.

Clark said that she peeked through closed window blinds and noticed a man and woman moving away from the house toward a shed. The two took a few items and placed them in a car before approaching the house again, Clark added.

The teen texted her mom again, saying that the two had now entered the house and that she was hiding in a closet under a blanket. Young continued to relay the information she was getting from her daughter to the 911 dispatcher.

PHOTO: Jensen Clark, 18, said she hid in her father's closet after two people allegedly broke into her family's house in Marion County, Oregon, on May 25, 2016.
Jensen Clark, 18, said she hid in her father's closet after two people allegedly broke into her family's house in Marion County, Oregon, on May 25, 2016.

After a few minutes, the 18-year-old said she heard the door open to the room she was in.

"Theyre in dads room," Clark wrote in a text to her mom. "I love you so much mommy."

A few seconds later, Clark added, "They found me."

At this point, Young can be heard shouting on the phone with the 911 dispatcher. "Oh my god! They’re in her room! They’re in her room!" she screamed.

When the two suspects opened the closet and lifted the blanket, Clark yelled, "Get out of my house," and both suspects ran to their waiting vehicle, according to Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies later caught and arrested the suspects with the help of information Clark gave them, the sheriff's office said in a statement to ABC News. Tiffany Wicke, 38, and Jestahn Jackson, 37, were charged with burglary in the first degree and taken to the Marion County Jail, the sheriff's office said.

PHOTO: Jestahn Jackson and Tiffany Wicke are pictured here in booking photos released by the Marion County Correctional Facility in Oregon.
Jestahn Jackson and Tiffany Wicke are pictured here in booking photos released by the Marion County Correctional Facility in Oregon.

"The Sheriff’s Office would like to commend the victim in this case for taking action to protect herself and assist the Sheriff’s Office in capturing the two suspects. Calls for service like this are some of the scariest situations a resident can face and in this case the victim did everything right to protect herself and aide in the capture of Ms. Wicke and Mr. Jackson."

Jackson and Wicke were released from jail this morning because the Marion County Jail had reached its capacity and officers were "forced to release them in lieu of releasing more dangerous offenders," Marion County Sheriff's Office Lt. Chris Baldridge told ABC News today.

A Marion County Courthouse spokeswoman told ABC News today that Jackson and Wicke have not yet entered a plea to the charge against them and that they are scheduled to be arraigned on June 7 and June 8, respectively.

Jackson's attorney, Gale Rieder, and Wicke's attorney, Frederick Burt, did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment.