SYRACUSE - An Army soldier on leave from Iraq is in shock after returning home and discovering that somebody had been living in his house and vandalized it.

Alberto Armas of Syracuse decided to spend a two-week leave with family at his house on the city's north side. But when they got there, they found that it had been stripped of copper pipes, and the air conditioning and many valuables were missing.

Armas immediately took his wife and three young children outside and called police after spotting a stranger running from the home. Syracuse police are still searching for the suspect.

Meanwhile, Armas will spend his leave at a hotel and says he probably won't keep the home.