Man just released from jail arrested, accused of assaulting 91-year-old woman at Scottsdale home

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Sometimes, a person's best defense against crime is a good neighbor, as a home invasion in Scottsdale was stopped in the nick of time by an alert neighbor.

The victim of the incident is a 91-year-old woman, and the suspect is at the 4th Avenue Jail, facing several charges. Authorities said he committed the crime a week ago, within 45 minutes of getting out of jail for his last crime.

The home invasion happened along a quiet. well-kept street. Some kids noticed a strange man walking around, and alerted their mother.

"They were just checking it out and making sure it wasn't something not good," said Catherine Mason.

It turns out there was something not good happening across the street, where a 90-year-old woman lives alone.

"My sister and daughter saw him push our elderly neighbor into her house, and close the door behind him," said Mason.

Court records show the man knocked on the door, asking the woman for a ride. When she refused, he forced his way inside, pushed her to the ground, and tried to steal her wedding ring. Mason's sister called 911 while she darted across the street to help.

"I kind of pulled him and started yelling, and the door was right there, so I kind of pushed him a little bit, and he just kind of ran, do we were lucky," said Mason.

Police got lucky too, as they caught up with Danny Nicholas a few blocks away, asking more people for rides. Back on this street, things went back to being quiet again, where neighbors help neighbors.

"I just didn't like the thought of a strange man being in there with her, so it was kind of automatic," said Mason.

The woman was taken to the hospital just as a precaution, and she is doing better now. As for the suspect, his freedom last week lasted for all of about two hours.