here now the story of firefighter phil herbert. we begin with a 911 call for help. >> montgomery county 911. what is the emergency? >> yeah. there is somebody breaking into my house right now. he's trying to come in now. he's breaking up the back door. he just broke the window to come in. there's two of them. oh, my god. >> reporter: it started innocently enough with the ringing of a door bell. but it wasn't just one ring. it was ring after ring after ring. phil herbert was upstairs and he went to the window. he looked out. he didn't recognize the guy down here. so he didn't open that door. >> i thought, well maybe he's just selling magazines. >> reporter: the first big rumble. phil said he could feel the house shake. somebody jimmying open the patio door. >> nothing scares me but that scared me. >> reporter: the second big rumble. one of the would-be robbers, first with his body then with the chair smashes through the window to get inside. it's getting serious now. >> i could hear him talking inside and walking around. >> reporter

phil herbert says somebody he didn't know kept ringing his doorbell.swer, he heard someone trying to come through his locked patio door, then somebody else smashed a window open. herbert locked himself in his room and called 911. >> started to give a description. i saw the second guy come halfway up the stairs. afterwards, i found out that there was four people, i guess. i mean, i'm just -- i'm happy i didn't open up the door because it would have been a home invasion kind of thing. >> reporter: the would-be robbers ran off when police arrived, but herbert says they didn't take anything. >>> the death of nfl superstar junior seau has once again put a spotlight on the brains of former nfliq as there are now new questions about how much damage is caused by playing football. wendy rieger here with more on this story. >> reporter: the medical examiner ruled that seau shot himself in the chest. some former players believe he wanted to preserve his brain. officials are now waiting for the family to decide whether they want his brain examined by a specialist.

phil herbert says he saw a man he did not recognize. he kept ringing the doorbell over and over. he then heard two men smashing the window of his patio door, trying to get inside. herbert locked himself in his room and called 911. >> scared? >> yeah. i will admit that i was scared. to death. nothing scares me, but that scared me. >> were you huddled up -- >> yeah, i was huddled up. i was in between the wall and the bed, just -- quietly talking to the dispatcher. >> herbert says the police arrived quickly, scaring the would-be robbers off. >>> today a montgomery county family is waking up with friends after a car exploded in their garage and caught the house on fire. this happened last night in the 5100 block of baltimore avenue in bethesda. jerry gidwreath and his family got out safely. he tells news4 the warning signs came when the lights inside that home started to flicker. >> all of a sudden we heard a boom. i was afraid they might have been hit. they said they were okay. i came up the stairs to the door that goes out in the garage, and there was a flame there. >> total of thr

phil herbert was upstairs and he went to the window. he looked out.dn't recognize the guy down here so he didn't open that door. >> i thought maybe he is just selling magazines. >> reporter: the first big rumble. phil said he could feel the house shake. somebody jimmying open the patio door. >> nothing scares me but that scared me. >> reporter: the second big rumble. one of the would-be robbers first with his body then with the chair smashes through the window to get inside. it's getting serious now. >> i could hear him talking inside and walking around. >> reporter: he goes to his bedroom, barricades himself inside, crouches down between the bed and the window. they had come busting through this door -- >> i probably would have tried to get out this window. i guess my thought was broken bones are a lot less than a gun shot. >> reporter: with all the shattered glass and the break-in well under way, phil calls 911. police there in a flash. the robbers on the run. phil emerges shaken but unharmed. did i mention that he had heart surgery last week? and t