West Paterson, New Jersey

From New York City’s WCBStv.com of February 2, 2006

NJ Man Defends Home From Burglars

Fires Several Shots And Scares Them Away

Three masked men attempted to rob Eucledes Moya's West Paterson home at around 9 a.m., Moya told police. His wife called from her car and told him that a vehicle followed her and parked in front of their house. That was when Moya reached for his gun.

According to Moya, he foiled an attempted burglary. "They tried to rob my house, three guys came in, one with a gun. I opened the door, and they tried to put a gun to my head,” he said.

The men did not know it, but Moya was armed himself.

Moya said, “I had a gun. He shot at me, and I shot back."

He fired his handgun a least four times but he wasn't sure if he hit the burglars.

"I was afraid for my life. They were shooting at me" Moya recalled.

But three of his bullets landed across the street, including inside neighbor Jessie Gurley's bedroom closet. His wife was in the adjacent bathroom at the time of the shooting incident.

"If I would have been in the line of fire, I would have lost [my life]," he said.