Naked Intruder Frightens Family, Attempting to Hammer Through Wall Before Officers Arrive, Homeowner Says

Rachel Bollin said she and her twin daughters were asleep in their home when the stranger went into their garage and stripped naked

A Corona man suspected of breaking into a home in his neighborhood, shedding his clothes and trying to tear through a wall to reach a woman and her two children hiding in a bedroom was out of custody Monday, as police continue to investigate the case.

Jason Nelson, 43, was arrested Saturday morning on suspicion of burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Corona police Sgt. Chad Fountain told City News Service that Nelson was issued a citation to appear in court in the next 60 days and then released from custody, without a bond requirement.

Rachel Bollin said she and her twin daughters were asleep in their home on Mandevilla Way, near Via Blairo, when she heard someone smash through a sliding glass door on the back patio about 5 a.m.

Bollin said Nelson, who is a stranger to her, announced his presence, then went into her garage, where he stripped naked and grabbed a hammer before proceeding upstairs. She said she barricaded herself in a bedroom with her children and called 911.

"His intention was to get to us. I don't know if his intention was to kill me once he got to me, but I was pretty sure that's what the goal was," she told NBCLA. 

She said that while summoning police, she screamed out the window for help.

The homeowner alleged that Nelson used the hammer with which he'd armed himself to tear into the wall separating the master bedroom closet from her daughters' room, where the three were huddled.

"He got that hammer, and that's what he was using to hit the drywall in my closet. He made it all the way to the other side, to the twin's playroom," she said. 

Before he could go through the wall, however, patrol officers reached the residence and took the nude intruder into custody.

No one was injured.

According to Bollin, she may proceed with a civil suit against the suspect, depending on what happens with the criminal case.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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