Crowbar-Wielding Intruders Changed Their Minds When They Saw What the 68-Year-Old Homeowner Was Willing to Fight Back With

When two men entered Thomas Ostermann's enclosed pool area Friday, one of them holding a crowbar, they probably didn't expect the 68-year-old to be prepared to defend himself.

WKMG-TV reported that the DeLand, Florida, homeowner, who has an American flag outside his front door, scared off the intruders when he got his gun to protect himself and his property.

"They both fled. One of them ended up in my pool and I tried to keep him. He broke loose, I got his shirt," Ostermann told a 911 dispatcher after the incident, according to WKMG. "The one that got away — I don't know whether he dropped it or not — had a crowbar."

Watch WKMG's report:

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Danny White, one of the man's neighbors, said he thinks Ostermann's home was targeted because it's on the fringe of land near a recently abandoned country club.

"Kinda scary, but definitely keep and eye on things and spread the word around the neighborhood, let people know what's going on. Make sure this doesn't happen again," White told the news station about the incident.

A shirtless man was spotted on a camera at a local CVS not long afterward, but WKMG reported that police don't officially consider that man a suspect yet.

This image captured by a nearby CVS surveillance camera showed a shirtless man who could match Ostermann's description of one of the intruders on his property. Police are looking for this man to question. (Image source: Volusia County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)

The Volusia County Sheriff's Department released the surveillance image of the man on its Facebook page, saying they want to interview him even though there "isn’t enough evidence yet to positively tie" him to the break-in.

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Front page image via Shutterstock.