Two people tried to burglarize former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Teddi Mellencamp's Los Angeles home Monday night, her husband said.
Three people jumped the gate and set off the alarm system, Mellencamp's estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, told NBC News Los Angeles. The intruders broke in through a side door into the office but fled after about 20 seconds, he said.
He and Mellencamp were home at the time with their four children, ages 5 to 16.
"By the time we came down, they had already ran out," Arroyave said. "But I just saw, obviously, the doors open at the house and stuff."
A Los Angeles police spokesperson confirmed that officers responded to a report of a burglary on Mellencamp's block at 10:15 p.m. Monday. The caller told officers that two men in black hoodies came to their house after a neighbor's house was burglarized, police said.
Arroyave said he believes the intruders were scared off by the security system and the fact that people were home. Officers arrived quickly, but the intruders fled before they got to the house, Arroyave added.
"You really don't see anything because they have hoods, fully covered, gloves," Arroyave said. "I mean, they're professionals at what they do and stuff, although these seem pretty young."
Break-ins have become an "unfortunate thing" happening with some frequency in Los Angeles, Arroyave said. He focused on the positive aspects of the incident and that everyone was safe despite the scary moment.
He urged others to "prepare for the unexpected."
Mellencamp made headlines this year when she revealed doctors had found multiple tumors on her brain. She posted in February that she went to the hospital with a debilitating headache that prompted scans.
She had been open about her ongoing battle with Stage 2 melanoma, which metastasized into Stage 4 cancer with tumors on her lungs and brain. Mellencamp shared later that month that the tumors “significantly shrunk" following surgery and immunotherapy.
In addition to her health struggle, Mellencamp is separated from Arroyave, but they paused divorce proceedings amid her cancer treatment.
Arroyave has his own home but sometimes stays in a guest room at Mellencamp's house, according to Bravo, home of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." That helps ensure that Mellencamp never sleeps alone while she deals with her health issues.
Mellencamp said she was dating someone new last month on her podcast, "Two T’s in a Pod."
