ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: San Jose man brutally attacked on Halloween night, crooks later return to take his car

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A husband and father of two in the South Bay was knocked unconscious by crooks on Halloween night.

The attack happened in San Jose's Willow Glen Neighborhood. Graphic photos shared with ABC7 News show the sheer animosity behind the attack.

Adding insult to injury, the suspects took the man's keys and later returned to take his car.

The evening started with a few missed calls and a text from the victim's wife, warning her husband of potential trespassers and concern over his open car window. It ended in the brutal attack.

The family has asked ABC7 News not to identify them, or reveal their address.

The husband approached two people at a complex near Curtner Avenue and Almaden Road, insisting the pair leave the premises.

After a bit of bold back and forth, everything went black.

"I don't remember too much after that because out of nowhere, something hit me in the face," the man told ABC7 News. "And I mean, out of nowhere."

When the victim regained consciousness, he said he heard his children and his wife.

"My son saying, 'Dad, are you going to be ok,' and my wife saying something," he described.

"All I can see was they were putting me on a gurney, shoving me into the ambulance," he continued. "That's a ride I never want to take again."

The victim suffered a broken nose in two places, a split lip which required 16 stitches, a bad concussion and injured ribs.

"My children saw their father this way," his wife told ABC7 News. "They were traumatized. They're scared."

At this point in the night, the man's keys were also missing. This included keys to his work toolbox, car and home.

After hours in the hospital, the family finally returned home the next morning.

The wife explained she went to shut the blinds in her son's room when she noticed the car was gone.

"The car was here when we drove home," she said. "We were only home about ten minutes before the car was stolen."

So, she posted to Facebook, hoping to alert neighbors about the crime.

Among the hundreds who reached out was a San Jose Police Officer.

"This gentleman, Officer Michael Roberson took a special interest in us," she said. "And he is the reason that they were found."

Her husband explained, "He called me yesterday, 'Hey, we found your car. Found the guy driving it.' You know? I said, that's great."

The family is now taking extra precautions to stay safe. Each family member carries mace, they've invested in bear spray, and they aren't ruling out purchasing firearms.

"I have a family to take care of, I have children to protect and a wife to protect. I've got my home here. This is where we live. I've got to be conscious of all that," the victim told ABC7 News.

"If our neighbor hadn't been home, my husband would've laid on the ground possibly up to two to three hours while we were out enjoying Halloween," his wife added. "Another reason why we're so grateful is that the people who did this to him did not have a knife or a gun, because that definitely could've changed our whole life."

Officer Roberson told the husband and wife that two arrests were made on Monday. This included the arrest of one juvenile.

"I've always felt I could handle myself," the husband told ABC7 News. "If this ever comes up again, I'm just turning and going the other way. I got a phone. Hit 911, 'There's people that aren't supposed to be here.' You guys take care of it."

ABC7 News reached out to the San Jose Police Department. No one was immediately available for comment.