Air filter broken possible debris in motor

While driving my car today it all of a sudden started cutting out and then shut off. I pulled it off the road. I looked under the hood and my air filter was literally falling apart. The plastic had become very soft and brittle. The air box had debris from the filter inside. Could it have sucked up debris from the air box into the motor? How can I fix it? It still runs after cooling off a bit but the problem seems to return when it gets warm again. It drives fine for a mile or two then acts up again. I got it home safe now what should I do?