JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Navy mechanic said he had to defend his young family from a knife-wielding man who broke into the family's home in Jacksonville.
Daniel Howser said he was lucky to be home when the intruder broke in. He’s currently stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and normally works at night.
This time, he said, he happened to be home.
“That was my wife’s biggest concern, even while it was happening,” said Howser. “What if I wasn’t home?”
Howser told Action News Jax that he and his wife were watching TV in their living room, along with their 4-year-old son.
Their 1-year-old was sleeping upstairs.
Howser said the intruder pried open the front door with a knife.
“I didn’t want him in the house near my kids,” said Howser, “so I just bolted at him.”
In a split second, Howser said he charged at the knife-wielding intruder, knocking him down.
Matthew Seedorf, 30, would be charged with armed burglary and resisting with violence.
Howser believes the break-in may have been a suicide-by-homeowner situation.
“He said he was going to kill somebody and he was trying to die before it happened,” he said.
Cox Media Group
