An Alberta family’s surveillance video of a burglary at their lake house near Rimbey is going viral online.

The unmasked and armed burglar’s face had been shared online nearly 25,000 times as of Wednesday afternoon. Dallas Barret’s home security video from his lake home shows the man making his way into Barret’s unlocked truck, and moments later taking the garage door down with it.

Barret said it was terrifying: “You go from fear to rage really, and back and forth.”

He said the break and enter happened Sunday, January 15, at his property just off of Gull Lake near Rimbey. He was at home with his family in Devon, Alberta watching Sunday night’s football game when it was interrupted.

“I was watching the Greenbay Packers, Dallas Cowboys football game. There was four minutes left and at 5:36 p.m. I had a glass break sensor go off on my security system.”

Barret said he watched the entire break in live from his phone.

“I was watching the video and reporting to the lady I was talking to on 911 what I was seeing on video.”

Barret says the thief was gone within minutes, before police arrived.

Because of the widespread sharing of the surveillance video on social media, many people have called the RCMP with tips about the suspect.

RCMP Media Relations Officer Corporal Laurel Scott said: “[Investigators] are actively working on this in Rimbey, and as well in any surrounding detachments this information would be shared.”

Scott said in incidents like this police try to pool as many resources together as they can. That can include help from Forensic Identification Units and increased police presence on the roads.

Barret says the thief left a big clean-up for him. Doors were left battered by the suspect. One had the glass smashed out of it, and the large garage door had to be temporarily nailed to the walls after the thief took it right off its hinges.

But he said without the security system, things could have easily been worse: “I might not have known for a week otherwise and had much more severe damage with water leakage and that kind of thing.”

He said his biggest piece of advice for homeowners or those who  have recreational properties is to get a security system installed – preferably one that will send notifications to your phone should anything go wrong.

The family still has yet to find their silver 2010 Dodge Ram 2500. RCMP have asked anyone with information that could help in the investigation to call police.