San Diego Police Department – ​​NBC 7 San Diego

A man suspected of sneaking into the room of a 19-year-old college-area woman was caught after police followed his wet footprints, San Diego police said Wednesday.

The man, whose identity has not yet been established, entered the house on Mary Lane north of the San Diego State University campus sometime before 4:45 a.m.

“He actually went into the bedroom of a 19-year-old woman and lifted the sheets off the bed,” said SDPD Lt. Arturo Swadener. “When she woke up, he ducked and fled the house.”

Residents called 911 and when police arrived, they saw the man peeking through windows, Swadener said. As he ran from officers, he fell into a neighbor’s pool.

“Officers followed the wet tracks and found the man down on Dorothy Lane,” Swadener said.

The shirtless man was arrested. Swadener said investigators are trying to determine a motive for the break-in.

“We don’t know yet, but it’s certainly unusual for someone to just walk in, find a bedroom and lift the covers off the bed,” Swadener said.

The teenager was uninjured, “but visibly frightened,” Swadener said, adding that she “kept her composure very well.”