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SYRACUSE — A Syracuse man wrestled an intruder to the ground after the man allegedly barged into his home Saturday night.
On the 1300 block of Banbury Drive, Jon Hislop has lived with his wife and two daughters for almost two years.
His wife has called this area home her entire life.
"It's a safe neighborhood," he said.
Hislop was in his home watching TV when he heard his front door rattling around 11 p.m. He looked out the peephole and saw that someone had covered it, figuring it was his brother-in-law playing a joke on him.
That's when Hishop unlocked and opened the door.
“He pushed through and hit me over the head with a VHS cassette tape,” he said.
According to Hislop, the intruder pushed his way further into his home.
Thinking he was trying to get downstairs where his wife was exercising, Hislop wrestled him to the ground.
“I threw him down, put him in an arm hold and was asking him why he was in my house? Who was he? I’ve never see the guy before,” he said.
I didn't really know what was going on. It was natural instincts of me wanting to protect me and my family.
–Jon Hislop
But Hislop says the man wouldn’t answer. Instead, he smiled.
“It was one of those creepy smiles,” Hislop said.
Screaming to his wife for help, she ran upstairs and called 911.
The man, who was still in a head lock, eventually went unconscious. His wife, who works as a nurse, gave him CPR until police and paramedics responded 15 minutes later. The intruder was then taken to a local hospital.
“I didn’t really know what was going on,” said Hislop. “It was natural instincts of me wanting to protect me and my family."
Hislop said he and his family still feel safe in the neighborhood, but for extra protection, they are now going to leave on outside lights and get a dog.
