Dolores Catania disclosed that her residence was recently invaded while she and her partner Paul “Paulie” Connell were traveling.
“Our home was broken into last week or possibly two weeks ago,” Catania, 54, shared during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live on Monday, October 6. “They used a blowtorch to get in.”
The stunning revelation prompted gasps and shocked reactions from the studio audience as she recounted the details of the break-in.
“We were away in Rhode Island, where I had mentioned before that I was making some cameo appearances on the new [Real] Housewives of Rhode Island series, and we were filming,” she explained. “Paulie had his phone turned off as he was performing for everyone there.”
Catania went on to explain that the couple was simply relishing a memorable night away together when she noticed Connellâs son was trying to reach her. (Paulie has two sons, Brooklyn and Kameron, from his prior marriage to Joanne Connell, while Dolores shares son Frankie and daughter Gabby with ex-husband Frank Catania.)
“My phone was buzzing, and I saw it was his son calling,” she recounted. “I always pick up when itâs the kids, even if Iâm in the midst of filming. He said, ‘Is my dad there? The house just got broken into.’”
While Paulie initially didnât grasp the gravity of the situation from his sonâs call, he sensed something was wrong due to Doloresâs shocked demeanor.
“I thought something happened to one of the kids, or another child, but [the break-in] was pretty severe,” explained Paulie.
At the time of the incident, neither Dolores nor Paulieâs children were present in the house. Paulieâs son became aware of the situation when the police contacted him to deliver the news.
“They used a blowtorch to gain entry. They broke a window,” Paulie stated. “They heated the glass to avoid triggering the alarm. This way, it shatters without setting off the alarm.”
Dolores noted that Paulie has an exceptionally advanced alarm system at their home that vocalizes to an “intruder” to “get out.” Fortunately, she reported that the culprits “didnât manage to steal anything” due to the swift police response.
“They were inside for about a minute or so,” Paulie remarked. “They spent around eight minutes trying to break in because they used the torch, since the glass was tempered. Instead of destroying the glass and setting off the alarm, they attempted to heat it instead.”
While the intruders sought to disable the alarm by heating the glass, their motion detector ultimately triggered the system, which typically remains silent for the first minute and a half.
In light of their experience, Dolores shared some preventive advice to her audience.
“I want everyone to keep this in mind. We love sharing our adventures when weâre out of town; Paulie posted that we were in Rhode Island the day of the break-in,” she noted.
Paulie playfully reminded Dolores that she, too, has a history of broadcasting their travels, having shared moments from their recent trip to Brazil. In response to a question about her security practices, Dolores provided another stern warning to potential burglars.
“Donât even think about breaking into our house!” she joked.
