ST. PAUL, MN — A 32-year-old man was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly breaking into a home in the Highland Park neighborhood and, mid-burglary, asking the homeowner’s Amazon Alexa device to “play some heist music” — a request the device fulfilled by activating the homeowner’s connected smart phone notifications, alerting the owner via push alert that her device had just been used by an unrecognized voice profile.

Devin Russell Maes reportedly entered the home through an unlocked basement window at approximately 3:15 a.m. while the homeowner, Karen Okonkwo, 44, was asleep upstairs. Investigators say Maes spent approximately eleven minutes in the living room collecting electronics into a duffel bag before deciding the operation “needed a soundtrack” and addressing the Echo Dot on the mantel.

Alexa, Identify the Suspect

Ms. Okonkwo had configured her Alexa account with voice profiles for herself, her husband, and her teenage daughter. The device was set to send a smartphone notification when commands were issued by an unrecognized voice. At 3:26 a.m., Ms. Okonkwo’s phone vibrated on her nightstand with an alert reading: “Unknown voice request: ‘play some heist music.’ No action taken.”

“I read the notification three times. I thought it was a glitch. Then I thought, ‘Whose voice is that?’ Then I thought, ‘Is somebody in my house listening to a playlist?’ Then I called 911.” — Karen Okonkwo, homeowner

St. Paul police responded within six minutes. Officers entered the home to find Maes still in the living room, having moved on from the unsuccessful heist music request to attempting to ask Alexa for “any song from Ocean’s Eleven” — a request the device also declined, citing the unrecognized voice. Maes was reportedly mid-question (“Alexa, why don’t you work for me?”) when officers placed him in handcuffs.

Maes was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on charges of residential burglary, theft, and possession of burglary tools. The Echo Dot was not booked but has been credited in the arrest report as “a cooperating witness.” Maes’s JailReport.lol booking has gone viral under the headline “Snitched On By A Cylinder.” Bond has been set at $15,000. Ms. Okonkwo has since upgraded to two additional Echo devices.