Alex Trebek on Burglary: ‘I Thought I Was Dreaming’ (Video)

On the Today show Thursday, Alex Trebek described how shocked he was to find a woman allegedly burglarizing his San Francisco hotel room at 2:30 a.m.

“I woke up and saw a figure in our hotel bedroom and I thought I was dreaming,” the Jeopardy! host says. “I realized immediately that someone had been in the room, and I put on my underwear and ran down the hall to see if I could find her.” (Joked Matt Lauer on air: “Alex Trebek sleeps in the nude?”)

He eventually caught up to Lucinda Moyers.

“She came out of the middle room where the ice machine is, and I said, ‘What were you doing in our room?’ She said, ‘I wasn’t in your room,’ so I said, ‘What were you doing?’ She said, ‘I was visiting friends.’ I said, ‘No you weren’t.'”

While chasing her, “I crashed to the ground,” says Trebek. “I managed to hobble back to the phone and inform security.”

Trebek lost an unspecified amount of money and a bracelet from his mother that he’d worn on the show every day for 20 years. He also ripped his Achilles tendon and injured his other leg while giving chase.

Later the same day, he kept his obligation to host the National Geographic World Championship at Google. He used a wheelchair to enter the auditorium, and leaned on the podium while quizzing contestants. His crutches were seen nearby.

He was also good natured about the incident at the event, telling participants, “You’re going to be tempted to blurt our responses. If you do, I will have to chase you out!”

Trebek — who was lauded by fans for catching the burglar — will undergo surgery on Friday. He expects to be in a cast for about six weeks.

Trebek, who turned 71 earlier this month, was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys.

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Moyers denies breaking into Trebek’s room and says she was only arrested because she’s a celebrity, according to NBC News. She was booked on felony burglary and possession of stolen property, confirmed Lt. Troy Dangerfield of the San Francisco Police Department.

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