‘Courageous’ 14-year-old grabs steak knives and confronts home intruder, MA cops say
.jpg "A 14-year-old girl confronted a suspected home intruder with steak knives in Massachusetts and filmed his car as he fled, police say. He was arrested.")
A sleeping 14-year-old girl awoke to “the sound of an intruder” and grabbed a pair of steak knives to confront him, scaring him away, according to police in Massachusetts.
The “courageous” teen is credited with leading to the arrest of who police call a “career criminal” who’s accused of breaking into her house, Middleborough police said in a news release. They noted the man is “well-known” to authorities.
When the girl heard boots walking around her home early in the morning on April 15, she soon realized it wasn’t her mother, WCVB reported. So she headed to the kitchen for the two knives and approached the man.
“I got him out of the house. I scared him,” the teen is heard tearfully telling 911 in an audio recording released by police.
“I was screaming at the top of my lungs to get out of my house, get out,” she told WCVB.
After the man, who was later identified as 58-year-old Joseph Ridge, of Bourne, ran out of the home, the girl followed him outside and started recording a video, police said.
“I took a video of his truck leaving so I have his license plate number,” she told the 911 dispatcher during the call.
She shared the footage showing a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and license plate with police, and state authorities eventually caught him as he drove over the Bourne Bridge, according to Middleborough police. He was promptly arrested.
The girl’s mother said she “didn’t realize that (her daughter) had it in her to stay so calm under fire,” in an interview with CBS Boston.
“Even in the midst of an extremely scary event, her bravery assisted us in identifying the man believed to be responsible for breaking into her home,” Chief Joseph Perkins said in a statement.
“The suspect in this case is a career criminal who was arrested after terrorizing a 14-year-old girl in her own home.”
The girl’s mother said she’s “blessed” to have her as a daughter but ultimately doesn’t recommend chasing off intruders with knives, WCVB reported.
“Call the police before you do anything,” she told the outlet.
Ridge was charged with aggravated breaking and entering during the daytime, trespassing and disorderly conduct, Middleborough police said.
Middleborough is roughly 40 miles south of Boston.
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 9:07 AM with the headline "‘Courageous’ 14-year-old grabs steak knives and confronts home intruder, MA cops say."
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