EXCLUSIVE Young family’s terrifying ordeal as doorbell footage captures a sword-wielding neighbor attempting to force their way into their home

A young family was horrified when their doorbell caught their irate neighbor wielding a three-foot sword and trying to fight his way home.

In terrifying footage obtained by MailOnline, 29-year-old Firas El Hejjaji can be seen attacking his home with the metal blade.

But, unbelievably, despite being arrested on the spot, El Hejjaji returned to live next door to them just 24 hours after being simply fined criminal damages.

The man who lives in the house, whom we do not name by agreement, said: ‘He broke down our door and if he could have gotten to me I think he would have smashed me too.

‘I can’t believe we are expected to live next door to this man after he has threatened us like that. He could seriously hurt my wife or my little son next time.

A young family was horrified when their doorbell caught their irate next-door neighbor wielding a three-foot sword and trying to fight his way into their home.

‘My wife is pregnant and we have a small child, so I feel particularly vulnerable right now. She’s crazy.’

The incident, which occurred in a quiet residential area of ​​Braintree, Essex, on Tuesday, was the culmination of months of ill-feeling and anti-social behaviour, the victim said.

He is a fickle man who has held a grudge against us for no reason. He seems to think we’ve done something against him that’s just not true.

“His behavior has been impossible to live with: he plays profanity-filled rap music at deafening volume in his backyard when our youngest son is just feet away trying to play in his wading pool.”

“You have made living here extremely stressful and unpleasant for months.

In the disturbing footage, 29-year-old Firas El Hejjaji can be seen attacking the family home with the metal blade.

Firas El Hejjaji, armed with a sword, attacked his next-door neighbor’s house after “months of ill-feeling and anti-social behaviour”.

Then this week he went completely crazy and started attacking our house with a sword. Thank God we weren’t there at the time, but the neighbors who saw it were terrified for our safety and theirs too. His partner had to intervene to try to calm him down.

“They called the police right away and we told them everything about the background and they saw the footage of what he had done, so when he was arrested and taken away, we hoped and hoped we would never see him again.

“Instead, it was barely 24 hours before we were told that he had returned here. He had just been fined. How could this not have been a more serious crime, perhaps a brawl, which could have attracted a longer sentence?

“He was waving a dangerous weapon with a real threat, how much more threatening could this be.”

Firas El Hejjaji can be seen wandering outside the family home days before the attack.

The family was horrified to see Firas El Hejjaji outside their family home after dark in September last year.

Since sharing the footage of the incident, the couple have received an outpouring of support and have also been in dialogue with their local MP, James Cleverly, to try to get their safety concerns taken more seriously.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We were called to inform us of damage to property in Braintree at around 4:15pm on July 18.”

‘Firas Hejjaji, 29, of Braintree, was arrested and later charged with criminal damage.

‘He appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 19 July and pleaded guilty to the charge. He was ordered to pay compensation of £1,500.

Mr Cleverly has been contacted for comment.