Terrifying photo reveals the moment actress climbed onto her roof to hide from home intruder - only for him to appear BEHIND HER

The photo snapped by a passerby as police surrounded the Los Angeles home is the stuff of nightmares
Venice resident Melora Rivera managed to flee onto her roof when area transient Christian Hicks, 29, allegedly broke in before 9am on Wednesday
Rivera appeared in the film Sparkle (2012) as H****

A Los Angeles woman fled onto her roof when a transient broke into her home Wednesday and terrifying photos have revealed how close the intruder came to finding her.

Melora Rivera bravely crawled onto her Venice roof and had the wherewithal to take her cell phone and call police.

'Once I saw him in the house, I knew that we both couldn’t be there,' Rivera told CBS LA from her Venice home.

The stuff of nightmares: Venice, California resident Melora Rivera is seen in the foreground as a homeless man who broke into her home lunges out onto the roof where she'd fled in fear

Police arrived on the scene just minutes after Rivera's frantic call as she hid beneath an eave of the roof.

An area blogger snapped a photo just as the itinerant, later ID'd by police as 29-year-old Christian Hicks, lurched onto the roof behind her.

It was a moment borne of nightmares. But brave Rivera kept her composure.

'I knew that I didn’t want to have a confrontation with him of any sort, you know, not knowing what his intention was,' she told CBS LA.

In spite of her composure, Rivera--who works in showbiz and had a small role the 2012 Whitney Houston film Sparkle--revealed that she did have at least one overarching fear as she clung to the roof.

Helping hand: Authorities arrived just minutes after the terrifying photo was taken

The lovely Ms. Rivera was in bed when the intruder entered her home. The Atlanta native has appeared in several films including the Whitney Houston movie Sparkle

'It was my biggest fear was that he was going to be forced by the cops to come hide in basically the same place I was hiding,' Rivera said.

Lucky for her, that didn't happen. Police managed to coax the intruder down after giving Rivera a ladder on which she could climb to safety.

Even as Rivera was still reeling Wednesday from the experience, she worried for people like Hicks in her neighborhood.

She told CBS LA:

'I think it’s very obvious for most of us who live around here, when someone seems to be suffering from a mental illness, and to continue to let these people walk around without offering them assistance, to protect them and us. That, I think, is the heart of the problem.'

Taken into custody: The man was eventually coaxed down by police. Hicks' bail has been set at $50,000

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Comment by RoADRaCER on September 29, 2014 at 3:37am: YiKeS!

Comment by CHIQUITA on September 28, 2014 at 10:24am: Truly scary....I agree with the actress....these people need help...They need to be taken off the street & given help. I work on the East coast, but every Thursday & Friday...I see people like this just roaming the streets like zombies....where they are coming from, I have no idea....Could it be a zombie apocalypse?

Comment by Leroy smith on September 27, 2014 at 9:21am: she is sexy..

Comment by Felisa McCray on September 27, 2014 at 12:34am: This is one of the most terrifying things that could happen to a single female living alone. I'm glad to see this situation didn't take a hard left and become a tragedy. I hope she took the necessary steps to turn her home into Fort Knoxx with no unauthorized entry. People are getting crazier every day!!!

Comment by Shaneece on September 26, 2014 at 3:05pm: Probably one of those neighborhoods where residents feel comfortable enough to leave their doors unlocked. Oh well. You gon learn today!!

Comment by 3nigirl on September 26, 2014 at 1:24am: Smart of her to hide there

Comment by GospelPan on September 25, 2014 at 3:24pm: That house doesn't look secure, she will need a new door, bars on the windows, etc....this situation could have gone down very differently....I hope she invests in a more secure home and maybe some pepper spray.

Comment by mr1stroke on September 25, 2014 at 3:10pm: is there any security system in that home, i mean hod did he easily got in, but thats cool she is alive, people please if you own a home you will realize it is so much cheaper and worth it to invest in a security system, most of them you can do your self if you have the time and the understanding, im talking about door bell with intercom and camera, door lock with digital lock and alarm system, a set of camera minimum two , you can use the wireless one which can hook up to your pc or tv and will be able to access via cell phone when away from home, and you can write them off on your taxes trust me its worth it, and also dont forget at least a weapon in the home these days you can buy them used at gun shop or gun shows, protect your life it is yours to secure