Mates Zennon, James and Haadi recall the event. 67534
A POINT Cook teenager is being branded a hero after thwarting a would-be thief with the aid of a broom handle.
Sixteen-year-old James was at Coles when he received a call from his mother telling him that she had just seen someone in their neighbour Linda’s backyard.
James quickly ran home with his three friends to see what was going on.
After he discovered that Linda had no idea there was someone rummaging around in her backyard, James ran through her house to try and catch the mysterious man. “I was actually upstairs at the time and I hadn’t heard anything,” Linda said.
“He (James) managed to use a broom handle to attack the guy and keep him in the backyard until the police arrived.”
After he had the man cornered, his three friends, Haadi, Zennon and Alex, helped James keep him there.
Police said they believed the criminal was trying to steal Linda’s car.
James said it was an instant reaction to try and capture the man who had caused his mother and neighbour so much distress.
“He was just there and I did what I had to,” James said.
“I just snapped and it turned to anger because he had scared my mum.”
Linda said she could not thank her young knight in shining armour enough.
“I know we talk about not confronting intruders, but James was just an absolute hero,” she said.
“That a 16-year-old guy would do that is just amazing, I just can’t say enough about him and what he did.”
But James insisted that he was no hero, just a protective son.
“If anyone was in the same position they would probably do exactly the same thing,” he said.
Police said that the unsuccessful thief was arrested and that investigations are still continuing.
