TEMPLE — Two men allegedly caught in the act of robbing a house on Webster Highway on Monday morning have been arrested.

The brother of the homeowner said he prevented the burglars from leaving the property by blocking their vehicle with his one-ton pickup.

Anthony Brown, 31, of Manchester and Jason Gurley, 32, of Manchester were arrested and charged with one count of burglary felony and one count of motor vehicle felony. Both men will be arraigned today in Jaffrey/Peterborough District Court.

According to Chris Connolly, who lives across the road from his brother, Mike, on Webster Highway, his Monday morning started out like any other.

“I came by on the way back from the town office,” said Chris Connolly, who along with his brothers, Mike and Patrick, own and operate Connolly Brothers, a dairy farm also on Webster Highway. “I saw a little blue car parked at the door of [my brother’s] house.”

At first, Connolly said he didn’t think too much about it because his brother Mike’s wife, Cindy, sometimes carpools with co-workers, who leave their vehicles parked in her driveway. But just to be sure, Connolly telephoned his brother Mike.

“Mike called me back and said nobody’s supposed to be there,” said Connolly, who decided to see for himself what the little blue car was doing parked on his brother’s property. “As soon as I pulled up, two guys came tearing out of the house and jumped into their car,” yelling at him to get out of the way, said Connolly.

Instead, Connolly said, he blocked the blue Chevrolet Aveo from leaving his brother’s driveway with his one-ton pickup. He also dialed 911 to report a burglary attempt. Then, he called his father, Martin Connolly, to apprise him of the situation.

“The brother blocked the driveway and the two individuals fleeing attempted to go around the truck but they hit the truck and rammed into it,” said Temple-Greenville Police Chief Jim McTague. “[Connolly] also called his father, Martin, and told him he needed help.”

McTague said Martin Connolly arrived at his son’s home along with Joe Broderick, a retired captain for the N.H. state police.

“They detained the two individuals,” said McTague.

Then, McTague and Temple-Greenville Police Officer Rich D’Auria arrived on the scene.

Soon, there were police cruisers from Lyndeborough, Peterborough, Mason and the state police parked in front of the residence. “There was a little bit of everybody there,” said McTague. “The response time by the citizens and the officers were excellent.”

Connolly said that once he blocked the two alleged burglars from leaving the scene, Gurley, the alleged driver of the vehicle, started crying and apologized to him.

“The driver was crying,” said Connolly. “He said, ‘We’re so sorry.’”

Shortly after, Mike’s wife, Cindy, returned home from work in Keene after learning about the thwarted burglary attempt from her husband. Cindy, who is expecting her first child in September, said she was sickened over the idea that strangers romped through her home, foraging through her personal belongings.

“It’s one of the worst nightmare calls you can receive,” said Cindy. “I don’t feel safe going back in there. It’s an uneasy feeling that some scum have been in my house.”

According to Cindy, the alleged burglars took a safe out of her bedroom and pulled apart all of the electronic equipment she had set up in her living room, including an HD television, a Wii, and a DVD player. Cindy said she heard the two men were starting to stack the electronics outside the side door of her house when Chris Connolly showed up.

“My brother-in-law took them out with a one-ton,” she said. “I’m going to make him a special dinner.”

While Chris Connolly admits to being somewhat queasy after Monday morning’s ordeal, he said he is grateful that he was able to stop the burglars from robbing his brother’s home.

“We work hard for our money,” said Connolly.

McTague said it doesn’t surprise him that the alleged burglars were stopped.

“I think they had several things working against them,” said McTague. “At the north end of town, you have Connolly’s Dairy Farm, Hidden Meadows Hunting, Timberdoodle and the Pony Farm. They are all familiar with each other. Anything out of the ordinary, they are going to get noticed.”

McTague said he believes the alleged burglary was a random act.