Raleigh, NC

10-year-old Chelsea Massey and her 9-year old nephew were in the den when investigators say Lucio Miranda, 40, walked into their home.

Massey says, "I was thinking what if I screamed and he could have did something to me and my nephew, then my life would have been over."

She ran to a neighbors for help while the man went towards the back of the house where her sister, Victoria Jones, was getting into the bathtub.

Jones says, "I'm in the bathroom and I looked out my hallway and I see him coming down my hallway."

Jones reached for the only weapon she could find, a bedpost.

"This is the first thing I see so I reached and I did like this and it came up and when it came up he was right here and... "
Reporter:: "You nailed him?"
"Yeah I nailed him. "

Jones beat Miranda all the way down the hall to the front door.

"And he was right at the threshold, and I hit him that one last time and he just went out cold. "

By that time, neighbors had come to held and held the suspect until police arrived.

"What I am scared of is what could have happened and that's why I gave it all I had because I didn't know what his plans were and what would happen to my kids if I didn't do the best I could to get him out of here."

Miranda was treated at a hospital for a black eye, broken ankle and head injury. The intruder is in jail, being held on a 108-thousand-dollar bond.

He's charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree possession of stolen goods. According to a search warrant, investigators found a key to Jones' car in his possession.