When a man broke into a home, Henny Rojas had to step in to protect the family.
Last weekend, Rojas was looking after his teenage nephew at his sister’s place while she and her husband were away in Miami.
“The devil is outside, so protect your family,” he said, recalling the gravity of the situation.
On Saturday morning, Rojas’s nephew woke him up in a panic, saying there was a stranger in the living room.
“Uncle, Uncle, I’m waking up!” Rojas remembered his nephew exclaiming.
According to reports from WPEC-TV, the intruder had forced his way into the house, but Rojas, who has trained in mixed martial arts for three years, was ready. “I’m prepared, this isn’t my first encounter,” he declared, adding he didn’t feel fear or pain in the moment.
Witnesses mentioned that Rojas used various techniques, including boxing and wrestling skills, to handle the intruder.
“I don’t like using guns or knives. Just God and my hands,” he consistently emphasized.
After law enforcement arrived, the suspect claimed he had mistakenly entered the house, thinking it was a friend’s place.
The intruder, 31-year-old Austin Karesani, appeared in court with visible bruises and swelling on his face, a testament to the altercation.
Karesani stated he’d been drinking nearby and took a wrong turn. In court, he opted to remain silent but was charged with home invasion. Reports indicated he was still in custody on Wednesday.
Rojas reflected on the experience, feeling no need to change anything about that night. He had some parting advice for those at home: “Protect your family; the world can be a dangerous place. There are many who don’t have faith and only seek to create chaos.”
Interestingly, Rojas didn’t seem to have a formal background in MMA fighting as per various athlete tracking sites.
