Inset: Austin Caresani (Broward County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The intersection where Caresani was arrested following an alleged home invasion in Wilton Manors, Fla. (Google Maps).
Authorities in Florida recently apprehended a man following a botched home invasion. However, it wasn’t just the arrest that left the suspect in a difficult situation.
Austin Caresani, 31, stands accused of one count of home invasion without a firearm, according to Broward County court records.
The incident unfolded near the intersection of N.E. 3rd Avenue and N.E. 24th Street in the town of Wilton Manors, just a short distance north of Fort Lauderdale, part of the larger Miami metropolitan area, as detailed in an arrest report provided by Law&Crime.
The house was occupied by Henny Rojas when an unidentified man entered. Rojas, trained as an MMA fighter, was more than ready to defend himself, applying his skills outside the Octagon as he neutralized the suspect.
The defendant’s mug shot shows the upshot of the confrontation that unfolded in the small, suburban community on Saturday.
And Rojas was voluble about putting his prowess to Caresani’s face.
“I’m prepared,” the proud pugilist told Miami-based CBS affiliate WFOR. “It’s not my first time. I don’t feel any pain. Nothing.”
During a televised interview, the homeowner’s brother showcased some shadowboxing moves, demonstrating how he quickly ended the alarming incident, dressed in various shades of purple.
“I don’t like guns,” Rojas said – adding that he wasn’t looking for a knife to engage the other man, “just God and my hands and that’s all.”
To hear Rojas tell it, the call came from his nephew.
“He was saying, ‘Uncle, uncle, wake up, wake up,'” the professional mixed martial artists continued.
After that, Rojas did in fact wake up, confront the unwelcome man and a beating ensued.
The news outlet also spoke with the teenager’s parents. They recounted how they received a frightful call from their son in the middle of the night about the break-in while they were away from home.
“They come running fast and started punching him in the face,” the boy’s father told WFOR.
Caresani, for his part, insists the whole thing was a mistake – guided by the spirits he imbibed at a local watering hole.
“The defendant does not know any of the residents and made entry through the front door without permission or lawful authority,” the arrest report reads. “Post-Miranda, the defendant advised that he had consumed several alcoholic beverages at a nearby club and was attempting to go to his friend ‘Paul’s’ house, who he stated resides in the area.”
At some point, mistake or not, Caresani attempted “to elude one of the witnesses,” according to the Wilton Manors Police Department.
That alleged effort clearly did not go so well.
“We’re not scared, I’m not scared,” Rojas told Miami-based NBC affiliate WTVJ. “It’s too fast, I don’t remember, I just protect my family and that’s it.”
The defendant was detained in the Broward County Jail before being was released on $20,000 bond, court records show.
