The Game Starts at 8. The Robbery Starts at 8:01

At 8:14 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2024, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the dashing No. 9, hit the field in Arlington, Texas, for a Monday Night Football showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. One minute later, Olivia Ponton, his housemate back in Ohio, was calling 911.

“Someone broke into our house,” said the model and influencer, who’d just arrived to find the home in disarray. She pleaded with police to dispatch officers to the scene. “It’s like completely messed up.”

The thieves had struck an hour earlier, as Burrow warmed up for the game. Entering through a window, they went ...