Dolores Catania's home intrusion narrowly foiled by police thanks to advanced security system
UPDATE 10/10/25 at 2:36 p.m.: Dolores Catania disclosed that law enforcement nearly apprehended the intruders who targeted her residence last month when she and her partner, Paul “Paulie” Connell, were away.
On Friday, October 10, while guest-starring on iHeartRadio’s “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast, Catania clarified that her security system notified authorities of the intrusion, and she later viewed the surveillance, which illustrated the narrow miss by police in capturing the culprits.
“Our security system is directly linked to the police department, SWAT, everything,” she stated. “Once they gained entry, they believed they were safe, but then the house began vocally instructing them to ‘get out, get out.’ We have footage of them, and the officers arrived, causing them to flee, missing them by just 27 seconds.”
Catania further noted that the swift response ensured the alleged thieves couldn't abscond with any items.
Initial report follows:
Dolores Catania shared that her residence had recently been burglarized during a period when she and her beau, Paul “Paulie” Connell, were not home.
“Our property was targeted by burglars last week … or perhaps two weeks ago,” the 54-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey personality disclosed on Monday, October 6, during an interview on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live. “They used a blowtorch to enter.”
Those present in the studio reacted to Catania’s disclosure with audible gasps and astonished looks before she proceeded to recount the specifics of the event.
“We were visiting Rhode Island, and as I mentioned previously, I was slated for some guest appearances on the upcoming [Real] Housewives of Rhode Island, so we were filming,” she explained. “Paulie’s phone was switched off, as he was entertaining the crowd.”
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Catania elaborated that she and Connell were just having an enjoyable evening together. During their trip, Dolores observed that Connell’s son was attempting to reach her by phone. (Paulie has two sons, Brooklyn and Kameron, with his former spouse Joanne Connell. Dolores, meanwhile, is a mother to a son, Frankie, and a daughter, Gabby, from her previous marriage to Frank Catania.)
“My cell phone was ringing, and I noticed it was his son,” she stated. “I always pick up calls from the children, even if I’m in the middle of a shoot. He asked, ‘Is my dad with you? The house has just been burglarized.’”
Though Paulie initially didn't hear what his son conveyed to Dolores, her alarmed countenance made it clear to him that the situation was grave.
“My initial thought was that something had occurred to one of my children or another person’s child … however, [the burglary] was quite severe,” Paulie clarified.
None of Dolores’s or Paulie’s children were present at the residence when the event took place. Paulie’s son became aware of the situation because law enforcement notified him of the occurrence.
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“Evidently, they utilized a blowtorch to gain entry. They smashed the window,” Paulie mentioned. “They applied heat to it so as not to trigger the security system. This way, it breaks without activating the alarm.”
Dolores revealed that Paulie has an “exceptionally advanced alarm system” in their house, designed to verbally command an “intruder” to “exit.” The reality television personality delivered positive news, stating that the purported thieves “failed to steal anything” due to the rapid arrival of law enforcement.
“They remained within the dwelling for roughly a minute and a fraction,” Paulie stated. “They dedicated eight minutes to gaining access, employing this torch because the windowpane was tempered. Thus, instead of breaking the glass and triggering the alarm, they heated it.”
Although the intruders reportedly attempted to circumvent the alarm by warming the glass, their security setup was activated by the internal motion sensor. The system usually remains quiet for the “initial minute and a half” before the alert sounds and summons the police.
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Dolores subsequently offered counsel to others on how to avoid becoming a victim.
“I want to impart this knowledge to everyone. We all enjoy sharing our activities when we're traveling, and Paulie posted about our Rhode Island trip that very day … and that evening, our home was burglarized,” she contemplated.
Paulie jestingly pointed out that he wasn't the sole culprit, as Dolores had previously engaged in similar behavior during their recent excursion to Brazil. When questioned about whether Dolores secures her valuable items in a safe, she delivered an additional admonition to any prospective intruders.
“Don’t waste your time attempting to burglarize our home,” she humorously remarked.
