Exclusive: Mineola Woman Speaks Out After Confronting Burglar In Her Home

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A Nassau County woman was home with two small children when she turned around to find a stranger standing there, and he wouldn't leave.

CBS2's Alice Gainer spoke exclusively with the woman about the frightening encounter.

Catia Teixeira was sitting with her nearly 1-year-old nephew with her 1-year-old also nearby when she heard the side back door open at her Garfield Avenue home in Mineola Tuesday morning.

"I think it's my husband and I say 'Baby it's you?' And nobody answered. I get up and I go there," she said.

When she got to the door, she saw a man standing there.

"I'm like what are you doing here? And he's like 'I'm fixing TVs and tablets.' Why you get into my house?" Teixeira said.

She said he presented her a business card, and again said he fixes TVs and tablets.

"I stood where you are and I start talking to him. Yes the door is open, and I told him to back up. And I told him three times, he backed up," Teixeira said.

She said he continued standing there, not leaving as she called police and her husband, who was working two houses away. He rushed home and saw the man too.

Teixeira says the intruder, who was 6' tall to her 5'5", never physically came after her but just wouldn't leave.

"It's like calm. Really calm. Like I'm talking to you, really calm," Teixeira said.

Before the man broke into that home, he was actually spotted on video trying to break into two cars around the corner. Surveillance video shows him walking around the cars, even come up and take a picture of the home.

The whole thing has neighbors on edge. Several did not want to talk on camera.

The man, identified as a 37-year-old Gordon Markais, eventually fled after the home break-in, but was arrested by police a short time later.

Markais, from Georgia, was charged with burglary, trespass, and possession of burglar tools, but he was released on bail. He's due back in court next week. He was also ordered to stay away from the family.

Neighbors are worried he may show up again and want to alert as many people as possible.

As for Teixeira, she says they're looking into putting cameras up and double checking all locks.