An 82-year-old grandmother quickly made an intruder regret breaking in to her home by smashing a table over his head and hitting him with a broom.
You might say she turned the tables on the situation. You know, by turning the table on to his head…
The encounter took place at around 11pm on Thursday, November 21, when New York resident Willie Murphy heard a man pounding on her front door.
See Willie recall the situation below:
The grandmother had been getting ready for bed when she heard the stranger outside her house. He was shouting for Murphy to call an ambulance, yelling: ‘I’m sick, I’m sick’.
Murphy was cautious and decided to call the police instead of letting the man inside, but the stranger quickly became angry.
The 82-year-old told Fox News she heard a loud noise and realised the man had broken her front door and entered her home.
It’s a situation that would have scared anyone, but Murphy had a handy trick up her sleeve that helped her deal with the intruder. It just so happens the grandmother is an award-winning bodybuilder who works out at the YMCA almost every day, and can deadlift 225 pounds (102kg).
Murphy commented:
He picked the wrong house to break into.
It was dark when the intruder came into her house, so the 82-year-old was able to hide as the suspect made his way inside. She acted quickly and grabbed the closest thing she could use as a weapon – the table.
Describing how she protected her territory, the bodybuilder said:
I picked up the table, and I went to work on him. The table broke. And when he’s down, I’m jumping on him.
Murphy didn’t stop there and once she had the upper hand on the 29-year-old intruder she grabbed a bottle of shampoo, which she proceeded to pour in his face.
The grandmother then got hold of her broom and starting hitting the stranger. He attempted to pull the makeshift weapon from her but the 29-year-old was no match for Murphy.
Thankfully, police officers then made it to the scene and the suspect was sent to hospital. First responders celebrated Murphy’s self-defence with a round of applause, and some of the emergency service workers even asked to take selfies with her.
Murphy decided not to press charges against the intruder and the following day she returned to her local gym where she received a hero’s welcome.
The grandmother hopes her amazing story will inspire people of all ages.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.