An intruder smashed his way into the Telopea home of the Abdallah family just before midday yesterday.
Leila Abdallah, whose three young children were killed when they were struck by a drunk driver, was at home at the time with a friend.
She had been looking at photos of her children in the kitchen around lunchtime when she noticed a stranger running out, carrying bags of her personal things.
“I was too focused on my kids’ pictures, Anthony and Angelina’s and Sienna’s videos, I didn’t feel it, I just felt him leaving,” Mrs Abdallah told 9News today.
When confronted, the thief fled with a bag packed with jewellery and other personal items.
He got into the front seat of a stolen Audi and drove away.
Speaking to 9News, Mrs Abdallah said she felt silly appealing to the public over the burglary.
“They’re just material things,” she said.
But some of the items hold sentimental value. She believes the mobile phone of her late son Antony may have been stolen.
Mrs Abdallah also said a watch belonging to her daughter was taken.
“He took a watch, but it’s not about the watch, I remember walking with Angelina to the store to buy the watch.
Detective Superintendent Darryl Jobson said Mrs Abdallah and her friend were “shaken and unsettled” by the home invasion.
“In the last 12 months the victims have endured an incredible ordeal and I appeal to the conscience of the people responsible for this crime to hand themselves in to the police,” he said.
“I also appeal to them to return the property of those victims. If you don’t have a conscience, we will get your names and we will be knocking on your door.”
Mr Jobson said the burglary appeared to be opportunistic.
“It is absolutely disgusting. It is absolutely abhorrent to enter a home while people are there,” he said.
The front door was not locked at the time.
Police aerial and dog units were dispatched but were unable to find the suspects.
The Audi is believed to have been stolen from a home in North Rocks between 10pm Monday and 6am Tuesday.
Police describe the thief as blond, Caucasian, about 183cm tall, between 20 and 25 and skinny.
He was wearing a black baseball cap, a black face mask, black track pants and a blue hooded jumper.
The getaway driver is described only as having blond hair.
Earlier this month Samuel Davidson was jailed for a minimum of 21 years for four counts of manslaughter.
This content first appear on 9news