A North Shore man woken by the sight of a masked intruder climbing through his bedroom window says "the adrenaline kicked in" and he shoved the burglar back out.
Connor, 22, who didn't want his last name used, told the New Zealand Herald that he was in bed with his 23-year-old partner Holly at her Torbay home last night at around 11.15pm when they opened a window to beat the humidity.
Fifteen minutes later, Connor woke to see his partner looking towards the open window. He turned toward the window to see a masked man pulling himself into the window, through the closed blinds.
"His head came through first, followed by his shoulders," said Connor.
"That was about as far as he got before I leapt up and natural reaction kicked in and I smacked him straight in the face and threw him straight back out the window.
"The adrenaline kicked in, the fight or flight mode ... the fight mode definitely activated," he told the Herald.
"I just grabbed him and punched him straight in the face. I got him pretty good, I've got cuts on my hands.
"He was definitely ready to break into a house, because there was something over his face. Some kind of dark mask, something dark over his head, dark gloves on and a windbreaker of some sort. Definitely a cliche 'robber' look."
Connor then grabbed a golf club and ran outside to chase the offender, but there was no sign of the masked man.
Police were called and attended the incident, they confirmed to the Herald.
Connor was at the home with his partner Holly in a downstairs bedroom and Holly's mother and stepfather were sleeping upstairs.
He revealed that he doesn't always stay at the property as he lives elsewhere on the Shore.
"The scariest thing of all is I don't live there at all, this is my partner's house. I'm not there all the time so just imagine what would have happened if I wasn't there.
"Something terrible would have happened."
Connor said his partner was "extremely shaken up" and refused to return to the room, saying she had been "crying all night".
He had always felt safe in the area before but recently cases, include the spate of attacks on women jogging on the North Shore, had left him uneasy.
"We're installing new locks.
"Even if it's hot now we're keeping the windows closed, just can't take the risk."
Police have been contacted for further comment.
How to be safe in your home
- Don't open the door to strangers. Install a peephole in your door. If you don't know someone, keep the door closed.
- Have a phone by your bed.
- Arrange with a neighbour to phone or visit you if your curtains are still drawn after a certain time in the morning.
- Never tell someone that you are alone in the house.
- Install a wide-angle door viewer so you can see who is at your door.
- Keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains at night.
- Invest in good-quality, secure locks.
- Source: Police
