SEATTLE — Seattle Reign forward Jordyn Huitema said she feared for her life during a home invasion on May 1, the night before a match against the Kansas City Current.
Huitema said she was lying in bed when she heard intruders inside the Seattle-area home she shares with Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez. Rodríguez was not home at the time.
“It was the scariest moment of my life,” Huitema said in an interview this week.
She initially didn’t hear the alarm, but the sounds quickly escalated.
“The sounds just got very loud, very quickly. And it was just like people running through the house,” she said.
Huitema locked herself in the master bathroom and called 911 as the men ransacked the bedroom.
“I put my hand over my mouth and nose, trying to hold in the tears and be as quiet as possible,” she said. “That could have been the moment.”
According to court documents, surveillance footage showed three men breaking into the home and targeting the main bedroom. One was seen carrying a dolly upstairs.
Police arriving at the scene spotted a black Jeep Grand Cherokee speeding away, believed to be the getaway vehicle. Officers briefly pursued the car but ended the chase, court records said.
Prosecutors allege the burglary was part of a larger ring targeting high-profile athletes. Last week, 21-year-old Earl Riley was arrested and charged in connection with the break-in, as well as other burglaries involving Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo, Seahawks great Richard Sherman, and Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell.
Riley is also linked to suspects in a triple homicide outside a Seattle nightclub, authorities said. The value of the stolen property is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“I think people do some really bad things for selfish reasons,” Huitema said. “The biggest takeaway I've gotten is just how amazing life is.”