The family woke up to the sound of footsteps on their roof at Kilburn about 4am.

“It’s scary, but I don’t know how he got up there, very, very high,” one resident told 9News.

“My husband asked me, ‘who’s on the roof’, and I said ‘yeah, someone’s on the roof’, we jump, we run out from the room,” his wife said.

Their 23-year-old son was awake and noticed a hole appearing in his ceiling. 

“I think they use the foot to break through,” they said. 

The family thought it may have been a tradie returning to start work, after having solar panels installed just last week.

The individual reportedly took off roof tiles to access the roof cavity. Meanwhile, a nearby resident noticed him on the roof and attempted to persuade him to come down.

“I asked him what he was doing up there … I was distracting him before police arrived,” he said.

Police negotiated with the man until he finally climbed down from the roof by ladder.

The 42-year-old from interstate was arrested and charged with being unlawfully on the premises, property damage and unlawful possession.

He didn’t apply for bail and will appear in court on Monday.