“Is heaven real? If it were, would I go there?”

These 10 words made up the terrifying question that raced through Enrico Rossi’s mind as he was mercilessly beaten and held at gunpoint during a home invasion.

Rossi spent four days in the hospital recovering from the brutal assault by his attackers on September 14.

Rossi’s ordeal began at around 04:10 when his small dog’s growling woke him up. The dog bolted from the bed, and thinking a cat had entered the house, Rossi got up to investigate.

As he stepped out of his room, he immediately noticed his kitchen light was on and his television was missing. He saw a man whose face was covered and shouted for him to get out.

As the first intruder ran, Rossi grabbed his phone and managed to dial his parents.

“As we answered the phone, we heard Enrico on the other end shouting that the man came back in with a gun and there was another man with a brick,” said Rossi’s mother, Jackie Rossi.

For the next terrifying few minutes, she and her husband, Ryan Rossi, listened helplessly as their son begged for his life.

The robbers eventually ended the call, and when the distraught parents called back, the attackers answered the phone and laughed before disconnecting.

Within minutes, Rossi’s father, Ryan, stopped his car outside his son’s house.

Jackie believes that moment was critical, “I honestly think the phone call to his dad saved his life; they heard he was coming.”

Despite the severe assault, the spiritual terror was profound. Rossi anchored his thoughts in his faith, saying, “The thing that went through my mind the most, though, was what would actually happen if they were to kill me… I desperately hoped my family wouldn’t find me deceased because that would break them.”

‘They laughed and hung up’ – mom recalls terrifying call during attack
https://t.co/VTfJ7ufurq #WitbankNews #Emalahleni #BreakingNews‌ #headlinenews #news

— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) September 17, 2025

Now, three weeks later, Rossi views life through a new lens.

“I feel as though I have essentially been given a second chance, simply because the situation could have ended much, much worse, and thankfully it didn’t,” he said

When asked about his trust in others, Rossi said, “I would say my trust in humanity is essentially the same for the most part, as I’ve always been aware that these kinds of things happen regularly to an absurd amount of people. It’s the world we live in, as sad and unfortunate as it is. There’s nothing I can do to change that, and I’ve accepted it. Life can be either very short or not, and that’s pointless to maintain petty grudges for reasons that you’ve mostly forgotten; it’s not worth it allowing that to be a constant in your life, especially when it can be taken away at the drop of a hat. I’ve also started to appreciate the time I spend with friends and family more as a result of everything that happened; it teaches you to cherish even the smallest of things.”

According to police spokesperson, Captain Eddie Hall no arrests have been made in connection with the home invasion and assault.

Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram or TikTok

Chat to us: [email protected]