Jason Nichols is accused of forcing his way into a California family’s home after threatening the homeowner and demanding to know about his daughter, police say
NEED TO KNOW
- Police allege 30-year-old Jason Nichols tried to force his way into a Fairfield, Calif., home before entering through a sliding glass door
- Video shows the man alleged to be Nichols threatening the homeowner and asking about his daughter’s whereabouts, claiming, “This is my neighborhood,” before identifying himself as “Harry Dresden”
- Authorities later added a charge of annoying or molesting a child under 18 tied to a separate April 5 incident, increasing his bail to $60,000 — a spokesperson with the Fairfield Police Department told PEOPLE the earlier incident involved another child
A man accused of breaking into a California family’s home is seen in a viral doorbell camera video confronting the homeowner and demanding to know where his daughter was before forcing his way inside.
In the footage, the trench coat-wearing, flip-flop clad man is heard threatening the homeowner, at one point yelling, “Open the f—ing door or I will f—ing kill you!”
He also claims, “This is my neighborhood,” and asks, “Do you know what my name is?” before identifying himself as “Harry Dresden,” a wizard detective character from The Dresden Files fantasy book series.
The video shows the pacing man pounding on the front door and attempting to kick it in before yanking down a hanging doorbell fixture near the entryway and hurling it at the doorway. He begins striking the doorbell camera and, at some points, screaming so loudly that his words become difficult to make out.
When he was unable to get inside through the front door, police wrote in their release, he entered the home through a sliding glass door.
Officers were dispatched on April 7 to the 1700 block of Burbank Court in Fairfield after a report of an unknown man attempting to force entry into a home, according to a statement from the Fairfield Police Department — at the time, per the release, the homeowner’s wife and child were inside the house.
Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Jason Nichols. Investigators said the homeowner, who was away during the initial interaction, monitored the encounter through a home security camera and returned to the residence in time to confront the intruder with a shovel.
On additional security footage shot inside the home, Nichols can be heard shouting, “Where the f— is she?” and, “You filthy liar. I can hear her.”
"Victor, you around? Huh, you like r—ing little girls, bitch? Huh? You f—ing try me I swear to god I'll kill you, I swear to god, do you understand," Nichols can be heard saying in the footage.
The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation, and the sound of a shovel striking can be heard during the struggle. Both Nichols and the homeowner suffered head injuries, according to police.
The homeowner can then be heard attempted to de-escalate the situation, asking, “Are you military?” and urging him to step outside.
"Okay, can you help me out? I understand what you're going through right now," the homeowner can be heard saying. "Can you please step outside?
Officers arrived within minutes and located Nichols outside the residence, where he was taken into custody without further incident. Nichols can be heard telling responding officers that "there's a little girl trapped in this house."
He was transported to NorthBay Medical Center for treatment before being booked into the Solano County Jail, per the Fairfield Police release.
He was initially booked on multiple felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, first-degree burglary and vandalism, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE. His bail was set at $35,000.
Authorities later added a charge of annoying or molesting a child under 18, increasing Nichols’ total bail to $60,000, per the records — police said in a subsequent April 13 press release that the additional charge stems from an alleged April 5 encounter involving a witness’s child.
A Fairfield Police Department spokesperson told PEOPLE that the alleged April 5 incident involved a different child than the one who was inside the home during the April 7 break-in.
Nichols is scheduled to appear in court April 13 and April 14, according to jail records.
The investigation remains ongoing. Due to the sensitive nature of the case and the involvement of a minor, officials said no further information will be released.
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