As soon as we can talk to our kids, we start teaching them everything they need to know, and safety is one of them.
We tell them not to talk to strangers and not to open our home to someone they don’t know.
However, there are still cases that we can’t control, like what happened to an 11-year-old boy in Wayne, New Jersey.
This scary event that you will see in the video below happened five years ago.
It was 2017, Monday, at around 3:30 pm, when Allan Shneyderman came home from school. It was his usual routine, and Allan was the first to arrive home every day.
He opened the door and entered his home. Allan immediately felt that something was off.
“I hear a noise — someone shuffling through a paper or something, or he’s trying to look through drawers,” Allan told Inside Edition.
Allan, out of curiosity, went into the room where the burglar was looking for something to steal.
He looked around, and that’s when he saw the intruder.
“Then when i look around the corner there’s this man with a hoodie, black shirt, black jeans, and yellowish shoes standing there just looking at me,” Allan continued.
At first, the burglar tried to hide in the closet but didn’t work.
“My heart immediately started pounding,” Allan recalled. “When he saw me he took off.”
Allan wasted no time. He ran outside as quickly as he could. The terrified young boy went to their neighbor, Gail DeGraaf.
He told DeGraaf what happened, and the kind lady called the police.
The burglar escaped, but thanks to the home’s CCTV footage, the authorities were able to identify the intruder.
The suspect was later identified as Thomas Coughlin of Pompton Plains. He was arrested and charged with burglary and theft.
“I was also happy I caught him before he stole anything,” Allan said.
The little boy also said another person was at his home when the incident happened. Allen’s grandmother, who lived with them, just stepped outside for a minute when Coughlin entered their home.
Allan was so scared for his grandma.
Wayne Police Department said that Coughlin entered their home through a rear sliding glass patio door.
The video also shows how the intruder checked every room of the house, and he looked like he wasn’t even in a hurry.
The police department praised Allen for his bravery and quick thinking.
They also reminded families and kids to do what Allen did. Don’t risk it; don’t do anything to fight off the intruder. Just run and go to your nearest neighbor or anyone to ask for help.
“I mean I wish that he would just be a normal person and not decide to steal things and be civilized,” Allan said when asked what he wanted to tell the intruder.
Intruders are dangerous and will not hesitate to hurt you or do harm.
We don’t know when incidents like this could happen. Always be prepared and remind your children what to do, in case they are faced with a similar situation.
Watch the full video report below, and don’t forget to share this with your friends and loved ones.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
