A group of thieves are on the run after a mother and her teenage son were threatened with a gun during a terrifying home invasion in Melbourne's west overnight.
Police allege three hooded and masked thieves used a crowbar to smash their way through a bedroom window of a townhouse in Altona North just before 2.30am.
A 16-year-old boy who was asleep inside at the time was awoken by the noise, as well as his mum who rushed from a nearby room to his side.
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The thugs then threatened the pair with a gun, police said.
The thieves escaped the home with a safe before fleeing in a white Volkswagen hatch.
Four other occupants inside the home at the time were not injured, but were understandably shaken by the ordeal.
The family has rented the home for 11 months, and neighbours say in that time there hasn't been any trouble.
"It's terrifying. I don't know what I would do in that moment . I feel really terrible for them," one neighbour said.
Investigators were seen door-knocking neighbours' houses as they continue to investigate the horrifying ordeal.
No arrests have been made at this stage.
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