A Niles woman said she is still “traumatized” after a person broke into her home early Thursday morning in the 700 block of Hickory Street in Niles, just south of the post office.

Lindsay Stover, 26, said she was in bed sleeping when she was awoken by one of her dogs growling at around 5:30 a.m.

She heard what sounded like a person setting something on a table, then footsteps.

“I knew what was going on, but I didn’t want to believe it,” she said.

Stover said she saw the light from a flashlight bouncing around the house and decided to lay in bed as still as possible, acting like she was asleep.

When she heard a loud boom, she woke up her husband, who got up and went to see what was going on. Their two children were also at home.

Lindsay said the person then ran away north toward the post office. She said the person was wearing a tan coat and had a backpack.

“I am really scared and traumatized,” she said. “We want people to be on alert and would really like to know who it was.”

Money, wallets, a video game system and car keys were among the items taken, Lindsay said.

Niles Police are currently investigating the incident. There is no suspect at this time.

Chief Jim Millin said while break-ins are not rare, criminals normally wait until a house is empty.

“We don’t see too many where the person went in when someone was home,” he said, adding that it would be considered a home invasion case.

Millin advised people to make sure their doors and windows are locked at night.

“If you hear anything suspicious, call 911 right away so police can check it out,” he said.