After a home invasion in the French town of Bougival, just outside Paris, a family defended itself against three armed burglars. Remarkably, the family had set up an extensive security perimeter after suffering previous home invasions — one which led to the death of their grandfather and the torture of their dog — in the latest sign that the French state cannot protect its own citizens.
Valuers journalist Amaury Bucco wrote in a lengthy post on X about a home-jacking gone wrong last week in the commune of Bougival, just outside of Paris.
“A third burglar, however, remained trapped in the garden. The father and his son-in-law tried to restrain him. A struggle broke out, but the alleged burglar managed to escape toward the inside of the house. In his path, he violently pushed the mother of the family, who broke her foot (30 days of temporary disability), then the daughter,” wrote journalist Amaury Bucco on X.
Although two intruders escaped, the third was finally taken down by the family’s son, who weighs 120 kilograms (260 pounds) and knows judo.
🔴 @Valeurs | Tentative de home-jacking à Bougival, une famille se défend face à trois cambrioleurs armés:
Dans la nuit du lundi 15 au mardi 16 septembre, vers 0h15, une famille de Bougival (Yvelines) a été réveillée par le signal émis par les caméras de vidéo-surveillance… pic.twitter.com/aT0L2dECfT
— Amaury Bucco (@AmauryBucco) September 22, 2025The police found the suspect had a bag with knives, a hammer, a baton, a tear gas canister, and a roll of tape. There was a clear intention to hold the family hostage, although their motive is unknown.
“He was coming to tie us up…” the father of the family said, recounting that he had already been the victim of an attempted burglary a year earlier.
Gaye M., an 18-year-old young man residing in Franconville (Val-d’Oise), was taken into custody, but the prosecutor’s office has not provided any further information on the case.
Luckily, the family who was targeted had some extensive security measures in place, including spikes on their wall, and were awakened by an alarm from their garden surveillance cameras.
The father told Valeurs that he had already been the victim of an attempted burglary a year earlier, thus all the security measures, plus his father had died at 86 following a similar home-jacking. The perpetrators then had tortured his dog in front of him to extract information, according to the Valeurs report.
“If I had known from the start that he was coming to hold us hostage, I don’t think I would have handed him over to the police in that condition,” the father admitted.
Bucco’s post includes footage of the perpetrators attempting to break into the house. Included was a blurred photo of the suspect they captured.
During the struggle that ensued, as all family members ran outside, the mother was pushed and broke her foot, while her daughter was shoved as well.
The area is no stranger to just burglaries. French TV presenter and real estate agent Stéphane Plaza was a victim of a home-jacking in late August, with no suspects arrested. Before fleeing, the perpetrators stole some €3,000 worth of shoes, according to Gala.
Plaza also had his apartment in Marais nurglurized back in 2022, and he says, the police did not take it seriously. After losing €15,000 worth of jewelry and luxury clothing, as well as €1,500 in cash, he says “all they did was take photos of me.”
Gala says the problem has been increasing recently, with numerous French celebrities facing home-jackings, sometimes violent ones. One, Bruno Guillon, lost €100,000 worth of jewelry and luxury goods and was held captive with his wife and son at gunpoint.
The portal lists several other famous victims, leading to an “unprecedented” trend. The police recorded 337 such incidents in Paris and its inner suburbs in 2022. In 2023, the number has not fallen, but risen.
