Bridle Path attack latest in rising number of Toronto home invasions: ‘Everyone is terrified’ - Toronto Star
According to Toronto police data, there have been 112 home invasions in 2026, representing a 47.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
A screengrab from doorbell camera footage released by York Regional Police depicting an attempted home invasion in Vaughan in August 2025.
Home invasions are up sharply in Toronto, and residents of some of the city’s wealthiest neighbourhoods say they feel targeted and are turning to security upgrades.
As of Oct. 8, according to Toronto police data, there have been 112 home invasions in 2026, representing a 47.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
As with Thursday’s incident in the Bridle Path neighbourhood, a home invasion can have multiple victims. As of Monday, there have been a combined 223 victims as a result of reported home invasions in Toronto in 2026, surpassing last year’s total count of 183.
Those numbers may be on pace to jump past the previous five-year high. There were 89 victims in 2021, climbing to 100 in 2022. There were 111 in 2023 and that climbed to a high of 231 victims in 2024.
On Thursday morning, three people broke into a home, shooting three victims and attacking another with a hammer.
“We recognize how frightening and disturbing an incident like this is,” said Insp. Kristy Smith of the Toronto police hold-up squad at a press conference at the scene.
“People should be able to feel safe in their homes.”
The difference between a break-in and home invasion is in the latter there is some confrontation with a person in the home. Often, thieves are targeting vehicles. Carjackings and auto thefts are actually down since their peak in 2023-2024, in part due to a concerted effort by authorities at several levels of government.
That said, several residents of affluent neighbourhoods in Toronto say they have seen the evolution of cars being taken from the driveway to break-ins aiming to swipe keys by the door to violent confrontations where thieves find people in the home and threaten them to get keys and other valuables.
Julia Nuttall was the victim of a home invasion in December 2025 in her midtown Toronto home. Her family awoke to a loud banging, as thieves smashed through a window at the front door to break-in. Terrified, she gathered her children and her husband went to confront the thieves. The thieves managed to get away with keys and stole a vehicle.
“I actually want to talk about it because I think that it traumatizes families what’s happening,” said Nuttall. “For us to be terrified in what is supposed to be a really safe neighbourhood, it’s just so concerning for the city. And this is not just like Lawrence Park. It’s Rosedale, Forest Hill, Bennington Heights, all these neighbourhoods. Everyone is terrified.”
Residents have taken to using a variety of security measures, such as security cameras, hiring private companies to patrol the area and film that reinforces windows in hopes of thwarting a violent break-in.
The increase has some residents looking into hiring security companies that are using AI-powered Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) cameras to track vehicles coming in and out of a neighbourhood. A company called NHBR, has the Canadian rights to Flock, ALPR cameras that have proliferated across the U.S. and is actively recruiting customers in Toronto with the plans to soon rollout their security solution.
“We know that any home invasion is alarming and terrifying for residents, and we take these incidents extremely seriously,” said Nadine Ramadan, spokesperson for Toronto police, who was interviewed prior to Thursday’s incident. “Our Hold Up Squad and other specialized units work with communities through prevention strategies, targeted enforcement, and ongoing investigations to address crime concerns.”
Shootings have been rare in home invasions in Toronto. Last year, in March, a group of five men broke into a home in the Glencairn Avenue and Avenue Road area and one of the homeowners was shot in the leg. In August 2025, Abdul Aleem Farooqi, a 46-year-old father of four, was killed during a targeted home invasion in Vaughan. Five people were charged in November.
Two years ago, a security guard for the Bridal Path’s most famous resident, Drake, was injured as the result of a drive-by shooting.
Raju Mudhar is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering breaking news. Reach him via email: rmudhar@thestar.ca
