Powerlifting 82-year-old grandma fends off intruder: 'I'm old, I'm alone, but guess what? I'm tough'

An 82-year-old powerlifting grandmother turned the tables, literally, on a home invader when she beat him with a table until police and first responders arrived.

Willie Murphy is an award-winning bodybuilder and, most days, she can be found at the YMCA, honing her skills. On Thursday night, around 11 p.m., however, the fit octogenarian was getting ready for bed when she heard someone knocking at her door.

“He was outside and saying, ‘Please call an ambulance,’ saying, ‘I’m sick, I’m sick,’” Murphy told WHAM.

Murphy phoned Rochester, N.Y., police and refused to let the man inside her home. Eventually, the man, whom police say was intoxicated, became angry and broke down her door.

Unbeknownst to the invader, Murphy can deadlift 230 pounds. That achievement, along with no one else competing in her age bracket, earned her a win at the 2018 World Natural Powerlifting Federation Upstate New York Championships.

Without belts or enhancement drugs, save for her permitted blood pressure medicine, the five-foot-tall bodybuilder, who is just a little over 100 pounds herself, has appeared on ESPN and Rachel Ray, while videos of her physical feats have gone viral on YouTube. She currently holds multiple state records in the 70s age bracket in the World Natural Powerlifting Federation (WNPF), and, when she entered her 80s, the federation created a new age category for her.

The intruder, whom Murphy refers to as the "young man," had clearly "picked the wrong house to break into."

According to Murphy, the home was dark, and she was able to hide as the suspect walked around.

"I'm old, I'm alone, but guess what?" Murphy told the outlet. "I'm tough."

Murphy picked up a table and started beating the suspect with it.

“I took that table, and I went to working on him,” she said. “And guess what? The table broke.”

After the table broke, Murphy utilized the metal legs and repeatedly jabbed him. When the man hit the ground, Murphy started to jump on him.

"The telephone is still on for 911," Murphy recounts. "I run into the kitchen. There's a bottle of baby shampoo on the table. I grab the shampoo, and, guess what? He's still on the ground."

Murphy says that she used that baby shampoo and squirted into the man's face. She then began to hit the intruder with a broom.

"He's wanting to get out of the house," Murphy said. "And I'm trying to help him, but he's too heavy and I can't move him. He's dead weight."

It was at this time, according to Murphy, that the police arrived.

"He's laying down already because I had really done a number on that man," Murphy said. "I'm serious."

Officers and first responders eventually sent the suspect to the hospital via ambulance. They were so impressed with Murphy that the responding officers asked to take a selfie with her on her front porch.

"I think he was happy when he went in the ambulance," Murphy said. "I sent him in an ambulance."

"Ms. Murphy standing shoulder to shoulder with Genesee Section Officers after an intruder attempted to break into her home," Rochester N.Y. Police wrote on their Twitter. "Ms. Murphy is tough as nails & fended off the intruder."

Yahoo Lifestyle was unable to reach Willie Murphy for comment. Rochester Police Department did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.

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