A Holmdel woman had the scare of her life late Tuesday night when she came face to face with a burglar.

Maria Bacchetta says her family left a kitchen window open overnight. The burglar supposedly pried the window open wider, cut the screen and got inside.

When Bacchetta went into the kitchen around 1 a.m. to get her cellphone, she saw a man dressed all in black in her living room.

"He was just waiting for us to go to sleep. He heard us in the house...but I guess it didn't matter to him," she says.

The burglar became spooked when he saw Bacchetta and ran out of the house. Her husband and kids never heard a thing.

Bacchetta says she will never leave the window open again.

The burglar is still on the loose. Holmdel police believe the same person is responsible for breaking into a neighbor's home the same night while the family was home. In that instance, the house alarm was tripped, but the family thought it went off accidentally.

Holmdel police are warning residents to be extra cautious and to report anything suspicious.