A North Bergen man was pistol-whipped, tied up and had a bag placed over his head, but he managed to free himself and rescue his family from four armed robbers who broke into his home early this morning demanding drugs and cash, North Bergen Police Capt. Patrick Irwin said.

Police said the harrowing home invasion appears to be a case of mistaken identity and the North Bergen family was not the intended target.

At around 4 a.m. today, four men wearing masks and armed with a handgun and a knife used a crowbar to pry open a sliding glass door of the 56-year-old's Newkirk Street home, Irwin said.

They then attacked the man while he slept, yanking him from the bed, putting a bag over his head and pistol-whipping him while demanding drugs and money.

The robbers also woke up his 36-year-old wife and their children -- a girl, 8, and a boy, 4 -- and tied the wife up as well, Irwin said. The man's wife and kids were then put in a separate room, he said.

The homeowner's father-in-law, 65, was in the basement and when he emerged to help his family he was captured and tied up, too.

It was at this point that the 56-year-old man broke free of the shoelaces used to tie him, took the bag off his head and fought with the robbers, Irwin said.

The homeowner then busted through the glass sliding door, and ran to a neighbor's house, where he called 911, Irwin said.

The four robbers fled, taking only $300 in cash and the family's cell phones, police said.

The 56-year-old man sustained cuts and bruises to his face and lacerations to his arms and legs, Irwin said. He was taken to a nearby hospital and has already been released, he said.

Police were investigating this afternoon and found a crowbar and a black glove in the 8-year-old daughter's room.

"It's the first time this has happened in this area," said Bernardo Garcia, 53, who has lived next door for almost three years. Garcia said he still felt safe on Newkirk Street.

When asked why robbers thought there might've been a stash of drugs and money in the house next door, he said he didn't know.

"I don't see no sneaky business around here," Garcia said.

Irwin said a full investigation into the robbery was under way and that every allegation, including the possibility of illegal drug activity happening nearby, was being investigated.

Anyone with information should call the North Bergen Police Detective Bureau at (201) 392-2092 or if that line is unavailable, the North Bergen Police Department at (201) 392-2100.