Audrina Patridge opened up on her experience with the notorious Bling Ring burglars on the “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen” podcast Monday.
Both Patridge and Rachel Bilson were victims of the infamous burglary ring that terrorized celebrities in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2009, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR). Patridge recounted the night she discovered her home was invaded after returning from an Oscars party. She announced her activity on X and this made her an easy target for the criminals.
“They took trash bags of stuff,” Patridge said on the podcast. “They knew I was at an Oscar party, and they knew that because I tweeted it. But then I had cameras and my cameras are the ones that caught their [Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee] faces and I posted it on my website, and said ‘if anyone knows of these people, let me know.’” (RELATED: Masked Burglars Raid Keanu Reeves’ Home, But Only Steal One Thing: REPORT)
Despite capturing the culprits’ images, “The Hills” actress lamented that none of the stolen items were recovered. The thieves managed to haul away valuables in trash bags, including Patridge’s personal belongings and precious family heirlooms like her aunt’s vintage Chanel watches. The invasion left Patridge petrified, especially when she realized her possessions were missing after coming home.
“I just got back from Australia,” she continued. “So everything was still packed, got home, changed, and then I went to the party and came home and I was like, ‘Am I losing my mind?’ My suitcase is gone, my laptop, everything is off my bed. Like, what is going on?”
She then recalled locking herself in the closet and asking a family to call 911.
“And then I went in my closet and I called my sister and I was like, ‘OK, if I open my jewelry box and stuff is gone, someone was in my house,’ and I opened it, everything was gone. And so that’s when I locked myself in [the closet], ‘cause I didn’t know if they were still in the house. Afraid to get off the phone so I had my brother call 911 while I was on speaker, and then they sent the cops.”
The crime spree targeted other high-profile celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom, with the Bling Ring stealing around $3 million worth of cash and property, THR reported. The aftermath reportedly saw the group’s leader, Rachel Lee, serving just 16 months of a four-year sentence, while other members also faced prison time.