Thief breaks into wrong house, then apologizes to stunned homeowner

This polite prowler is as nice as they come.

A thoughtful thief broke into the wrong home in Vineland, N.J., and then begged the homeowner's pardon after realizing his error, the Press of Atlantic City reported.

Maria Cardona, 39, confronted the benevolent burglar Monday after he surrepitiously slipped into her home through a hole he tore in her back-door screen, The Press reported.

"What are you doing in my house?" Cardona asked the man, who answered that he was looking for "a guy named Greg," The Press said.

"No Greg lives here," Cardona said.

"Is this 1021?" the confused criminal asked, to which Cardona replied, "No, this is 1022."

"I'm so sorry," the unidentified thief said. "I meant to break into 1021."

The pair then awkwardly chatted about the burglar's family - before the considerate crook offered to repair her damaged screen.

Cardona, who declined the offer, told the newspaper that the man made her "nervous," as he rambled on, keeping one hand in his pocket.

But he was "really polite," Cardona added, although she said she desperately wanted the thief to go away during the ordeal.

"I thought he had a knife," the homeowner said.

Vineland police later said that nothing was stolen during the strange encounter.