Neighborhood 1, Alleged Thief 0 in Foiled Burglary

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What happened in Ypsilanti early Sunday morning goes far beyond a run-of-the-mill neighborhood watch program.

No one sat idly by and watched as a 52-year-old woman, who awoke around 5 a.m. to find a 47-year-old man standing in her living home, was relieved of her possessions.

When they heard her frantic screams for help, two neighbors – one armed with a kitchen knife and the other with a sword – rushed to her aid, WJBK-TV and WXYZ-TV are reporting

The neighbors arrived just in time to encounter the man running from the house. He reportedly jumped in the woman’s car, which was already loaded with items from her home.

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The woman who had been startled awake just moments before was hardly a helpless victim. Fast on his heels, she jumped in the car and started laying on the horn, alerting the neighborhood. Several more responded, some of them armed, others frantically calling 911. The target of the break-in pinned the alleged burglar until police arrived and placed him under arrest.

“I think she’s amazing, ferocious and brave,” the neighbor who who had grabbed the kitchen knife to defend her neighbor told WJBK. “I don’t think he was expecting to be challenged in what he was doing. And I am very inspired by her.”

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• One of the home-security tips that pops up frequently on social media is keeping a set of keys on the nightstand so the vehicle’s alarm can be activated if there’s an intruder. Do you have any others?

The woman with the kitchen knife, who asked WJBK not to reveal her name or show her face, said it’s reassuring to live in a neighborhood where people will respond to a distress signal in the middle of the night.

“It was beautiful to see her neighbors show up,” she aid. “It was good to see that there are neighbors who will get up and check it out.”

Ypsilanti police told WXYZ that though they don’t recommend individuals taking risks, it was encouraging to see neighbors looking out for one another.