Nicki Vine, 21, confronted a man trying to steal equipment from her father's van in Broadstone, Dorset. The incident occurred at around 11:30pm on Tuesday, after Vine had just gotten out of the bath and noticed suspicious activity on the security camera footage. Vine chased the thief down the street with a baseball bat while wearing only a bath towel, but he escaped with an accomplice on a motorbike. Vine said she wasn't going to sit back as a thief tried to take her family's "livelihood".
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Tuesday evening, 11:30 pm, 21-year-old Nicki Vine was sitting on the sofa after getting out of a bath when she noticed movement detected by her neighbor's security camera. She went outside to investigate and saw a helmet-clad thief trying to steal equipment from her father's van in Broadstone, Dorset. Vine confronted the thief, who wore tracksuit pants, trainers, and a padded jacket, and swung a baseball bat above her head as he tried to flee with an accomplice on a motorbike. Vine chased after them, even throwing the bat at the bike as they drove past. Despite being shaken, Vine was able to stop the thieves from stealing more equipment.
Written for “Woman Foils Home Burglar” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 4315 · logged 2026-09-05
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This is the moment a young woman wearing only a bath towel stops a thief in his tracks after catching him trying to steal tools from her father's van.
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woman → see → van
Nicki Vine, 21, was left shaking after she confronted a man trying to steal equipment from the van parked outside their home in Broadstone, Dorset.
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she → leave → Broadstone
She had just got out of the bath and was sitting on the sofa when she noticed her neighbour's security camera had detected movement about 11.30pm on Tuesday.
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camera → get → Tuesday
She got up to have a closer look and spotted a helmet-clad thief opening the van's sliding door and peering inside.
Ms Vine said she got a 'little bit angry' and ran outside to confront the thief.
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she → get → thief
In security camera footage, the young woman is seen sprinting around the corner holding her towel in one hand and a baseball bat in the other.
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woman → see → other
The thief, who wore tracksuit pants, trainers and a padded jacket, bolted away from the van and down the street as Ms Vine swung the bat above her head.
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Vine → wear → head
He fled the scene with an accomplice on a motorbike, with Ms Vine seen throwing the bat at them and shouting as they drove past her.
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they → flee → her
Nicki Vine is seen sprinting around the corner holding her towel in one hand and a baseball bat in the other after spotting a thief opening the sliding door to her dad's van
The thief, who wore tracksuit pants, trainers and a padded jacket, bolted down the street
Ms Vine had spotted the thief opening the sliding door to her father's van just seconds before
Ms Vine works with her father, Darren, as a plasterer.
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Vine → see → plasterer
He had been in the process of bringing some of the equipment inside the house when the thieves pounced.
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thieves → bring → house
She said they had been targeted by thieves before and that she wasn't going to sit back as a thief tried to take the tools, which she described as their 'livelihood'.
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she → say → livelihood
Ms Vine said: 'I got home from my friend's house at 10pm and had a bath before bed.
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I → say → bed
'I sat for a while in the lounge in my towel and that's when I saw a neighbour's security light go on.
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light → sit → towel
I saw on our CCTV monitor a motorbike drive past slowly with two people on it and then it came back.
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it → see → it
I thought it was odd.
'
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it → think → ?
One of them got off and walked down the road and I had a sixth sense what he was about to do.
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he → get → what
He tried that handle of the van and I got a little bit angry, that's our livelihood.
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that → try → van
I ran outside with the bat in just my towel.
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I → run → towel
'The guy saw me and ran away.
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guy → see → me
I threw the bat at him but it missed.
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it → throw → him
Then I heard the motorbike start up and stepped into the road to play chicken with it.
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motorbike → hear → it
I remember shouting "come on then".
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I → remember → ?
He drove towards me and I had to step out of the way.
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I → drive → way
I took a swing at him and I am pretty sure I hit the bike.
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I → take → bike
'When I got back in the house I realised I was physically shaking.
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I → get → house
I didn't really care about what would happen, you have just got to stand up for yourself.
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you → care → yourself
Ms Vine said they had been targeted by thieves before and that she wasn't going to sit back as a thief tried to take the tools, which she described as their 'livelihood'
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she → say → livelihood
'The support I have had from the neighbours has been incredible.'
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I → have → neighbours
Ms Vine later shared the CCTV footage on Facebook, with several people applauding her bravery and quick-thinking in the comments.
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people → share → comments
She wrote: 'So I strike again.
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I → write → ?
Two boys on moped, tried to break into dad's van.
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boys → try → van
'However I came with baseball bat in hand, in a towel (AGAIN) and hit the get away rider on the moped.
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I → come → moped
'Keep trying, I'll keep fighting!
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I → keep → ?
Police have been notified and evidence has been submitted.
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evidence → notify → ?
'Mess around and find out.'
Daily Mail has contacted Dorset Police for comment.
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Mail → mess → comment
