‘I felt like I was going to die’: 15-year-old girl assaulted by man during home invasion

A Nebraska teenager said she was getting ready for school Friday morning when a masked intruder lunged at her from the closet.

“I really felt like I was going to die,” Annalena Halac, 15, said.

She said the man had a knife and rubber mallet.

“I was trying to scream but I couldn’t. He was holding my mouth and he was choking me and I couldn’t breathe at all,” Halac said.

Halac said she fought the intruder for 10-15 minutes, which she said felt like a lifetime.

“He was just, like, ‘If you don’t stop moving, I’m going to make you stop,'” Halac said.

She said at one point he tried to unbutton her skirt, which is when she looked over and saw a vase.

“I’m, like, ‘OK, this is my chance.’ I grab the vase and I just hit him with it, and I run down the stairs to go get my dad,” Halac said.

Annalena and her father said they think the man entered through the back door and escaped out the bedroom window. They said nearby business security cameras got the suspect on camera. Those stores are working with the police.

We just hope and pray for the best that we find this perpetrator,” said Michael Halac, Annalena’s father.

They believe the man was not there to steal anything.

“My dad’s watch was on the table. His money was on the table. I had computers in my sister’s room. He could’ve grabbed anything and he didn’t,” Annalena said.

Michael said he’s thankful his daughter is alright.

“My daughter is my hero. I am such a proud father,” Michael said.

“You should just never give up. Keep fighting, no matter how bad it is. Just know that you’re not alone,” Annalena said.

Annalena said she has about 30 cuts all over her body, as well as bruises on her face and a possible concussion.

The intruder was described as tall, thin, wearing a mask, a green hoodie and dark pants.