DeLAND, Fla. – A DeLand mother said she feared for her life when she woke up to what sounded like a bomb.
After walking around her home, she discovered someone tried to break into her home. The incident happened Monday night at a house on Fifth Avenue in DeLand.
Linda Lopinto was at home with her son, who has a disability. The two had gone to sleep for the night when she heard a loud noise coming from a room in her home.
"I didn't know what it was. That is how loud it was," said Lopinto.
She was panicked, shaken and suspicious as she called 911.
"Please, can someone come here? Someone just tried to break into my house. I'm with my handicapped son. I just heard the bang of the windows, a big bang," Lopinto told dispatchers.
After peeking into her guest room, she found her window had been smashed and glass was all over the floor. Lopinto believes her response is what scared away the burglars.
"I knew right away that it was a break-in. It's just an overwhelming thing that I felt. I didn't care about the window, I just cared about our safety, I mean, is the person in the house?" said Lopinto.
Trying to calm her son, she waited for police. But by that point, the burglars were long gone.
"My biggest fear is getting up in the morning to go to work and come home to see something again," said Lopinto.
Lopinto was not able to get a look at the burglar or burglars. Police used K-9s and a helicopter, but they lost the only track they could get.
Lopinto now wants others to be aware.