A HOMEOWNER faced a terrifying ordeal in their own home — a man had been living in their crawl space, without them knowing.
An Oregon resident was alerted that a man was living in their crawl space after police were called for a suspicious person.
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Officers responded to a call that an unknown man had parked his car and made his way over to the back of an apartment complex on September 3.
The caller had not recognized him, and said that the door to the crawl space was open with a light on inside.
The door then eerily closed.
When police reached the scene, they noted that the door was damaged and locked, and an extension cord was peeking out of the vent.
Officers were put in contact with the owners, who were unaware of a man going inside of their crawl space.
They did, however, note “strange noises coming from the crawl space before,” according to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
The tenants gave two keys to the door that didn’t work, prompting officers to break the door.
Police say that Beniamin Bucur, 40, was found living in the crawl space now decked out with furniture.
“He had taken significant steps to improve the conditions of the crawl space and was obviously living inside,” the sheriff’s office said.
String lights, outlets, a bed, and even a mounted television were found inside of the man’s self-made lodging.
Photos of the space showed a large water jug, a fold-up chair, and tools located in the room, too.
There also appeared to be a Playstation 5 controller in one of the snaps.
Deputies said that he was “living there for an extended period of time.”
Alongside his housewares, police say they also found a pipe, which had methamphetamine on it.
Bucur was arrested and booked for first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
A judge then set his bail at $75,000.
Many Facebook users joked about the situation and wondered how he was up there for so long without anyone noticing.
“Jeez, At this point, just charge him rent and let him stay,” one user commented.
“This just gave many folks some great ideas. BRB, got to go check my crawl space,” another said.
The sheriff’s office said that anyone with tips on the case can reach out to their designated tip line at 503-723-4949 or by submitting them via their website.
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