17-year-old arrested after Novato party in renovated home

NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) -- Novato police say teens broke into a newly renovated home before the homeowners fully moved in. They threw a party and trashed the house.

A 17-year-old has been arrested, but there may have been as many as 100 teens at the party. There is no word yet on where the arrested teen went to school, but the principal of San Marin High School says he will be looking all of this on Thursday.

Word of the party spread on Snapchat and that messaging application may have helped police make an arrest.

Novato police say over the Labor Day weekend teens spilled paint all over the floors, beer cans were strewn about and furniture was torn into at one home.

"Any invasion of your personal residence like that is particularly unnerving," Novato police Sgt. Jay Demski said.

Through Snapchat, police say local teens invited others to a two-night party at an abandoned house on Vineyard Road. Only the house isn't abandoned. The homeowners recently purchased and renovated it. They were in the process of moving in.

Neighbor Carrie Wirth told ABC7 News, "It's horrible. You put so much work in your house and it's like... I can't imagine."

"It's really out of context for Novato," said Quinn Wirth.

Neighbors Carrie and Quinn say their son heard the party Sunday night and said the teens were really loud.

Police say they received a call at 10:30 p.m. for a large group of juveniles in the area. But when they arrived, there was no one there.

Police say the teens broke in through a bathroom window and that in addition to vandalism, they stole a TV.

Through their investigation, police arrested a male 17-year-old on probable cause for possession of stolen property, though police say they have not yet recovered the stolen TV. They add there could be more arrests thanks to social media.

Neighbors have set up a GoFundMe Page to help the new homeowners.