Holmdel, N.J. Woman Catches Burglar In Home In Middle Of Night

HOLMDEL, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Imagine waking up in the middle of the night, only to find a burglar in your home.

As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, that is exactly what happened to a homeowner in Holmdel, New Jersey – and police believe she may not have been the only target that night.

"I was frightened," said Maria Bacchetta. "I couldn't believe that this was happening to me."

It was around 1 a.m. Thursday, May 7 when Bacchetta woke up to get her cellphone out of the kitchen. But as she stepped out of her bedroom, she saw a strange man lurking in the shadows of her home.

"I didn't realize who it was, and then I noticed that it was a man, so I ran and turned on the light -- and in the meantime, I don't know where this guy went," she said.

Bacchetta said the man broke in through this kitchen window that had been left open accidentally.

"He cut the screen, but he had to push the window all the way to the other side," she said.

Bacchetta said her security alarm was not set, and her two sleeping dogs didn't bark. She believes the would-be burglar was just waiting for her and her husband to go to sleep.

"I just can't believe that this person came in this house while we were here," she said. "He knew we were here."

That same man may have also broken into the house next door earlier that night. The resident there told CBS2 off camera that his security alarm went off around midnight.

He thought it was falsely triggered, so he didn't think anything of it -- until he discovered his wallet missing the next day.

Bacchetta said nothing was taken from her home, except her sense of security -- which can't easily be replaced.

"He could really have just knocked me out as I'm turning the corner here, or killed me," she said. "I don't know what he could have done, but he could have did something to me."

Police said the burglary suspect was still on the loose late Thursday. No arrests had been made, and police were still looking into the case.