North Shore home invasion attempt: Man shoves intruder through window

The incident has left the couple shaken. Photo / File

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 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 and his partner Holly were asleep when the man tried to climb into their bedroom. Photo / Supplied

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."

Inspector Kevin McNaughton, Waitemata East Area Prevention Manager, told the Herald: "Police are aware of an incident at an address in the suburb of Torbay overnight where a male was reported entering an address through an open window.

"In this instance an occupant in the room has pushed the male out. Police units attended along with a Police Dog but the track lost after a short distance. A Scene Examination by a Police Scene of Crime Officer is scheduled to obtain forensic evidence to identify the offender."

Inspector McNaughton added: "Around this time of the year we can sometimes see an increase in break-in attempts and this can be due to a number of factors such as; warmer weather and daylight savings, which means all of us are out and about more often and later into the evening – but that also means so are offenders.

"We know that offenders are opportunistic and if they themselves are in an area and see cars with valuables inside or empty homes with windows open, they will not hesitate to take the opportunity to break in."

"We need our community to play their part in helping preventing these types of crimes. And it is really basic advice. Stop leaving valuable items in your car, keep your house locked up – don't be tempted to leave windows and doors open because it's warmer.

"Park your car in your driveway if you can, get a steering wheel lock. And most importantly – keep an eye out for your neighbours. If you see any suspicious activity then please call 111 – often our best catches come when our community have called something in and we get to apprehend the offender in the act."

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