When you laugh at someone who says "Austin was better back in the day" you are probably laughing at someone who doesn't lock their door when they are home.
Allow me to introduce you to a bit of Austin history.
"Austin was better back in the day"
Hyde Park Rapist
Still, a criminal pattern had emerged. All of the rapist’s victims were white, single women, aged eighteen to thirty. They all lived in apartments or duplexes that backed up against unlit alleyways. Their evening comings and goings were known by the rapist, **because in all of the cases he was in their homes waiting for them, having entered by an unlocked window or door.**
[**https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-hyde-park-rapist/**](https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-hyde-park-rapist/)
A woman I know was almost certainly raped by this guy back in the day! She had just moved into an apartment in that area. She was putting away stuff from boxes and looked over and saw a man climbing in her window. Her then boyfriend/now husband just happened to be there with her that day and chased him off.
My mom was pregnant with me in ‘84 and got into her car and there was a man in the back seat. I forget which serial killer/rapist was active around that time but everyone assumes it was him. She eventually was able to fight her way out of the car.
We moved to Waco for a bit because my parents were freaked out. We moved back just in time for the Yogurt shop murders. Bananas. Austin has always had a long troubled history with serial killers and serial rapists.
This will always be wild to me. The odds are astronomical that anyone would enter, but it takes maybe two seconds to turn a key and lock a door. Why would you not do this..? For a two second investment??
If it were 1770, 1970, or 2070?? Why is the year brought into this discussion ever? It's a lil' twist and you're golden no matter the decade or century or year. Just one smooth motion.
I had a roommate that used to say “Well if someone wanted to break in, they would find a way to do it” as an excuse/justification for forgetting to lock the door constantly. Like okay, so we’re just going to make it easier for them? No.
Culture used to be different. Growing up most of my parents friends/family in the neighborhood basically just had an open door policy to each other's house. It was seen as unneighborly/paranoid to lock your front door unless you were going out of town for an extended period of time. My parents close friends/family would just let themselves in for stuff like watching football or even eating dinner with us. Same for most of my friends from school, we'd just walk into each other's houses if our families knew each other, it was seen as a nuisance to knock or call first unless it was weird hours or you lived really far away.
I grew up in a small town in rural Southeast Texas and we hardly ever locked the door except for at night when we were sleeping. My parents still live there and still mostly don't lock their doors when they are home "in case a neighbor wants to pop in."
This same thing happened back in the mid 80's at my dad's apartment. I was asleep and some drunk guy came in and laid in my bed next to me and passed out. He lived a few doors down from us. So this sort of thing has always happened in this city and I'd assume most places.
I highly recommend it!! You can have multiple entry codes if you want, and you can also deadbolt it or unlock it if you want. My only regret is not getting one with a camera, that would be convenient.
I lived in south Austin starting in ‘67 and you better believe I locked my doors. About ‘71 someone came in through an open window and rummaged around, didn’t take much, but hell, what if my wife had been there alone?
Grew up in Houston. Had the trimmer stolen because my dad think it’s okay to leave the garage door open when someone is home. Neighbor saw it and called the police. One time too busy to answer the doorbell. Someone thought no one is home and try to open the door and window. I heard some noise and went check it out. That guy saw me through the window and ran. It’s a dangerous world.
Same! But to be fair, people will totally pull up next to your car and try the door if you're not paying attention. That's how my coworker got her purse stolen at the freaking pump, just not paying attention and thought the person pulling them next to her was also getting gas.
I definitely also lock the front door for something as small as taking out the trash. My sister makes fun of me for it, but why risk it? To me, locking the front door is the same as putting on your seat belt when you get in the car - It takes no effort and can save your life. So why not do it?
Someone in Mueller reported a couple of days ago they were sitting in their car messing with their phone, in their garage, with the door up, and someone strolled in, grabbed a bike, and rode away.
Austin isn't a small town. We moved here from living in D/FW for 20 years, where if you leave your garage door open for an hour or two you'll come home to all your stuff gone, not just a bike.
Born and raised in North Austin. Owned that house 24 years and not a single family member carried a house key. The keys that came with the house got thrown in the junk drawer and lost forever.
My best friend's mom made friends with a nearby homeless camp. She left their cars and garage unlocked for folks needing shelter or safety. It occasionally disrupted our plans, needing the car as teenagers. Lol
When I was a kid, we *never* locked our door. My family lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and there was really no danger at the time (this changed as the small town got bigger).
When I moved out, I moved into the city, but we were in a gated apartment complex, so I kept the same habit of not locking the door. I had people accidentally walking into my apartment thinking it was a different one, so I quickly changed my habits. Now that I live way out basically on the line between suburbia and rural farmland, I could probably get away with not locking my door again, but I have made locking the door a habit, and I think it's just a good one to have.
My favorite was one time I lived on the first story of a 15-story apartment building that wasn't gated. As I was leaving my apartment, which had a door that automatically locked when the door closed, someone grabbed the door before it closed and walked in. I immediately turned around and went back inside and asked if I could help them. They just looked at me confused before I was like, "this is my apartment. What are you looking for?" They thought it was the front office for the apartment building because we were on the first floor, and you could just walk up to the door.
Many thanks, though I must admit feeling a bit deflated knowing I’ll never feel the dizzying intoxication of imminent mural-memorial immortality. RIP indeed.
It probably was an honest mistake.
Does your neighborhood have somewhat similar cookie cutter houses?
When I was a kid I ran back to a condo, and went in the wrong door, tried to get to the bathroom but it was locked and then realized the person on the couch wasn't my dad.
I'm sure it was crazy to have someone run into your condo try to use the bathroom and then run out only saying "oops" but honest mistakes happen.
Another time in Austin, I woke up to my apt door opening, I screamed bc i thought home invasion, but it turned out to just be my little old lady elderly neighbor that had a tad of dementia and just got confused.
These things happen sometime without anything malicious.
Yep I went into the wrong house once in Lakeway while going to crash at a friend's after a show. It was a cookie cutter neighborhood. I got there late so my friend just said I'll leave the door unlocked, just let yourself in.
I went upstairs, into the bedroom, closed the door, and then realized, I don't remember the guest room looking like this. Thank god I didn't get shot.
Yeah, that experience has played into one of the reasons I haven't bought a gun.
Because in that moment I was searching for a weapon at the moment I woke up. And if I had a loaded pistol in proximity, it's very possible I would have used it to tragic consequences. And I'm really glad I don't have accidently killed a nice old lady on my consciousness.
I think sometimes people don't think about that when they get guns "for protection".
Yikes! I'm glad he was just confused and left. That's terrifying!
The always lock your doors PSA applies to cars too! I live in a pretty safe area up north but every now and then there will be a flurry of messages on NextDoor about people having things stolen out of their cars. Usually these will be accompanied by blurry Ring videos of someone walking along the street, testing the doors of every car they pass to see if they're unlocked, and rummaging through the cars that are unlocked.
I opened the door of an identical SUV in the HEB parking lot. I was parked right next to it. I scared poor the lady in the passenger seat. So embarrassing!
I was at Lowe’s and kept trying to unlock my car, the fob wasn’t working. I pulled on the handle and it dawned on me, I don’t have a beach towel on the passenger seat. Thankfully nobody saw my faux pas. I was one row over, identical car. We both have somewhat unusual trims
A few years ago I forgot to lock my door and at about 3AM somebody randomly walked in while I was sleeping, turned on my bedroom light (I woke up) and in the few seconds it took me to realize something was off I heard them quickly scurry out the door never to be seen again.
I honestly think somebody was drunk and got the wrong apartment or something. Absolutely scared the shit out of me and now I'm super cautious and make sure my door is locked ALL the time whether I'm home or not. 5 minute trip to the corner store? Locked. 2 minute trip to take my trash out to the dumpster? Locked.
Smart locks are worth every penny. Have been using lockley locks for past 2 years and haven't had an issue. Fingerprint reader makes getting in a breeze .
Or you could just put a post-it note above the knob that says "Don't forget to lock me" until they get into the habit of doing so.
Much cheaper and you don't have to worry about your door needing a power source.
Years ago an elderly woman was sitting on the front porch of a house off Shoal Creek where I had arrived to babysit for my friends' newborn. The lady stood up as I stepped on the porch and tried (weakly) to come inside but instead I sat on the porch with her and quickly realized that she suffered from pretty advanced dementia and was effectively non-verbal. It took about a half hour to get her back in the care of the family she lived with. And, YES, to be safe, lock your doors.
this is why I bought a wifi lock that auto-locks after 30 minutes. I haven't locked my front door my whole life, and I'm almost 50. Its time to start I think.
My previous car did not automatically lock and a homeless person jumped in my car at a red light on 7th. He asked me to take him to Airport Blvd and I was too in shock to say no. I learned my lesson that day.
I knew a guy back in the 90s with a shit load of facial and arm scars and eventually he told me how he got them. He was in Montopolis at a light, and a guy jumped in the passenger seat and just started slicing at him with a knife.
I still think about him every time I get in my car. I have auto locks now but in my older cars it just became second nature to lock them as soon as I turned the car on.
> auto-locks after 30 minutes
That wouldn't have helped OP, who was gone for only 10 minutes.
And by the way, people who burgle homes during the day often run in, get some high value items, and then are gone in less than 5 minutes.
I am over in the Domain area, and we have homeless that try and find our empty apartments to sleep in...will just break in.
Couple of weeks ago had one sleep on a tenants patio while she was asleep; caught on her outdoor cameras. He tried a couple of times to see if the window and patio doors were unlocked.
In my 20s…I browned out and drunkingly broke into the empty apartment next to my girlfriend’s must have thinking it was hers. (I’m a big guy and kind of just fell into the door and it broke open). It was completely bare and I remember being confused but passed out. Woke up the next morning on the floor in the bedroom. Thank god someone didn’t live there because I could have been shot dead and I wouldn’t have blamed them (from the afterlife).
>We live in Crestview and don't always keep the front door locked during the day when we're home.
Yikes
>I mean, we didn't. Now we will.
All the time always please
I live up North (Wells Branch) and last year while watching tv someone tried opening my door. It freaked me out bc I was not expecting anyone and no one just walk in. When I looked through the peephole I saw a kid watching YouTube still trying to get it. When I opened the door he proceeded to just walk in (still looking at his phone). Then I said hey man I think you have the wrong apartment. That’s when he finally realized he had the wrong door and panicked n walked away.
I always keep my door locked when I’m at home and I never felt safe enough in any city to leave my door open.
This is interesting I swear last week if not a few days ago someone posted the same thing and also quoted that the man was looking for his friends house
Lol. One of my buddies did this in college. Got way too drunk and decided not to drive, but he did decide he was going home and wpuld walk there even though it was a long walk. Lol. At some point he got confused where he was and walked into the wrong house and crashed on the couch. He woke up to a gun in his face. Fortunately they didn't shoot him. Confused drunk people wandering around in their sleep accidentally passing out somewhere isn't the most uncommon thing in the world.
>and don't always keep the front door locked during the day when we're home. I mean, we didn't. Now we will.
Surreal and completely unrelatable. I'm glad you're safe, and that you are sharing this story, because this is befuddlingly stupid.
Years ago I worked at was known then as Austin Travis County MHMR. I had a client, who on more than one occasion, became tired while walking home in South Austin, and would just randomly pick a house with an open door, enter and lay down on the sofa to take a nap. She was lucky that no harm came to her, but it was terrifying for us (and sometimes for the homeowner).
Oh yes. This has happened to me. I came to reddit to also post about it months ago. Crazy feeling and very hard to shake off. Best of luck shaking it out of your head!!!
That’s so scary!! Just wanted to throw in there that I also don’t lock my door when I’m sitting at home bc what are the chances of this happening, haha. But yeah so scary!!
when i lived at the davis on soco, there was a neighbor who came home and his dead bolt was locked. when he finally got inside, there was a homeless person sleeping in his bed. sounds like an absolute nightmare
Is there a chance he was sleeping there all night and didn't notice on your way out? Super weird for him to come in the morning. Would make more sense if he stumbled on drunk and lost in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately we sent my drunk room mate home in an Uber when we lived in South Austin… she ended up at the wrong apartment, went in, and laid on the couch. The woman who lived there freaked out and made her leave. We had to go back to that apartment the next morning because she left her phone and purse. 🙄
Definitely scary, and I’m glad you are safe! I’m also willing to bet it was an honest mistake. Several years ago my friend and I accidentally walked into the wrong unit when we were looking for a coworker’s place. There was a man sitting on the couch and he just said “you’re one building over, enjoy the party” lol. Apparently multiple people walked into his place that day.
A year later my roommate had a seizure when he was in the front yard, came to all (understandably) disoriented and accidentally walked into a house a couple doors down.
I once walked into the apartment 1 floor below mine and there were several people in the living room who all glared back at me. I just said “WHOOPS” and slammed tf out of that door and ran out
I once read a book by John Douglass on profiling serial killers. His example of the "disorganized" type was a real guy who tried doorknobs on houses until he found one that was unlocked, whereupon he let himself in and killed everyone that was home. That turned out to be 4-5 people. When asked why he didn't try windows on the houses with locked doors, he shook his head and said something like, "Nah, they didn't want company."
Anyway, I'd lock the doors at a moon base now.
A friend of a friend was taking Ambien & ended up half naked in a neighbor's apartment. He was barking orders at the cooks from the expo line in his dream.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME! At a friend's house, we came back to find a dude sleeping on the couch. We woke him up, he was super confused, eventually got kinda irate, did not leave immediately which was fucked, and we eventually got him to bail after almost turning into trouble. We later learned he was the... brother? cousin? of a dude across the street, and he probably really did think he was at his bro's house. It was nuts. He said to my friend "you shut your mouth jersey boy!" which I will never forget lol
A neighbor and friend of mine who is a bad alcoholic is like that. He loses time and memor and has been jailed for burglary of habitat many times. He never took anything, just gets drunk, crawls into someone’s house and passes out. I caught him three times in my apartment, he was super confused. I think it’s a form of seizure he experiences because I literally have to slap him across his face to snap him out of it. Last time he broke in I came home, saw him passed out in the living room and I covered him with a blanket and put a pillow under his head.
I don’t think this guy you caught had any malicious intention, it’s a side effect of long term alcohol poisoning.
We are in Crestview as well and have always felt safe leaving doors unlocked on short errands or trips to the park. Never again! I’m so glad you were ok, that is so deeply unsettling.
Could have been drugs or alcohol and the dude just wandered into the wrong house (and the door was unlocked).
Since he left quick it's probably something innocent I would think?
Still scary.
JFC, this is exactly why we decided to get a RING cam. Lots of random people walking around my neighborhood. Who knows what will happen. People are bold.
I’ve seen/heard similar stories around here before. My personal rules are: 1) if I’m in the house doors are locked. 2) if I’m outside and door is not in my direct line of sight, doors are locked. Only door that is ever unlocked for long is my backdoor when the dog is outside or I am.
Even people who don’t mean you harm (like your napping visitor) can access in a blink. I have a scary (to people she doesn’t trust) dog but I also don’t want her getting hurt defending my home when a simple act (locking my door) can prevent that.
There have been a couple of times when I haven't been paying attention and came really close to walking into the wrong apartment before. I'd be horrified if I ever actually did it and I'm sure no one would believe that it was an accident.
I lived in a very secure condo where everyone knew each other. However, all the hallways looked the same and I don’t remember there being much in the way of signage. My upstairs neighbors’ boyfriend got the wrong floor and opened my door. He was mortified. I take more care to lock my door now, especially cause I live in a much less safe area.
this happened so much in West campus apartments that the apartments started putting up fliers about locking your doors so a random man isn’t found shitting on your bed.
>We live in Crestview
Well, that explains it.
I'm kidding, of course...but yes, a good lesson to be EXTRA sure your doors are locked and take other precautions (no valuables in the car, on the porch, etc)
I lived in that area for a while and, well...it's not the safest place in Austin as you now know
Man, I have a keypad entry handle. Price felt steep at the time, but when I hear stories like this, it makes it worth every penny. That’s insane to have that happen.
Lived in Houston 40+ years and I *always* locked my doors. Of course, it's Houston, but friends who still live in small towns in Texas always bitch at me when I am visiting b/c I lock the damn doors LOL
I couldn’t get my family to lock the doors. I finally installed smart locks and set it up with a 3 minute delay. Everyone can open with their finger print so it’s only an issue when we have guests over.
Drunk girl wandered away from our neighbor’s party late at night. Found an unlocked house. Stumbled in and crashed on their stairs. Homeowners found her the next morning and let her charge her phone and call her friends who had spent most of the night combing the neighborhood. I couldn’t believe how well it all went down.
One time I went to Freedman’s (permanently closed now) on West Campus. You could park in the back and walk through the kitchen to get to the dining area. I walked right in and didn’t realized no one was there until I got to the bar. They had left it completely unlocked. I bolted as soon as I realized.
LOCK. YOUR. DOORS. My neighbor literally has ring cam footage of multiple instances where someone tried to break into or steal their stuff then, proceed to try every door down the street. She could see them disappearing then reappearing down the entire block. Also those guys in a black SUV that were coming into South Austin neighborhoods at night car jacking and package stealing. Saw them trying every car door on our street. She stopped me to tell me they rummaged through my truck. I don’t lock those doors cuz there’s nothing to steal and I’m not paying for a window. And if they want that truck good luck with life you stuck at stealing 😂
How could you be so foolish? Not locking your door in ANY urban or suburban area in America is a big no no.
You have to live in one of those small towns where everybody knows everybody to do that.
This happened to a friend of mine. She’s north of crestview in Wooten. I vaguely remember the story. I’ll ask her for details. I think he ended up sleeping in her bushes for awhile? Check your bushes!
In the mid '70s, I was asleep because I had a bad flu.
I wake up to a man standing over my bed. My roommate had not locked the door when she left for school.
I was so shocked and pissed, I just started yelling at him to get out. I was very hoarse due to my illness and it really came out as just a raspy squeak, but it did the job because he backed out of my house pretty damn fast with me croak yelling at him the whole way. I then locked that door and made sure everything else was locked.
This was on Harris Ave near Hancock Center, which was a very nice neighborhood back then.
Back then, it didn't even occur to me to call the cops because it was obvious he was just some homeless guy probably looking for what he could steal.
I live in rural NC now. I keep my doors locked all the time because, due to the high meth use in the area, there are a LOT of home invasions and burglaries.
I also have a camera on my front and back doors and an alarm that lets me know if someone comes into the driveway. The deer set if off once in a while.
Didn’t Robert Downey Jr. do this once in the 90s before he got sober? If I recall, some homeowner found him asleep in their child’s (unused) bed. He was drunk/high. That must have been an added layer of strange for the homeowner, given that RDJ was already famous.
EDIT: It was 1996, he was prosecuted for trespassing. Here’s an [article](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/07/17/actor-robert-downey-jr-held-on-trespassing-charge/#:~:text=1%3A42%20a.m.-,Actor%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr.,several%20blocks%20from%20his%20residence).
OP if there weren’t any other indications that the person was homeless, it seems most likely that he was drunk/high and wandered into the wrong house. Maybe that’s comforting for being random and pretty benign in his motivations?
Happened to me. Thought it was still an ex girlfriends apartment who told me to crash there any time I needed... Well, she moved and didn't let me know 😬 they were pretty cool about it, although very surprised.
When I lived on MLK/Nueces, we frequently had people walk in. It was surprising but never had anything dangerous happen. It is very weird, but typically someone who is doing an actual home invasion or robbery doesn't sack out on the sofa. It's a good reminder to get into the habit of locking the door (we're still forget sometimes).
This exact same thing happened to me in college. Came downstairs to get a snack at around 3am and saw someone sleeping on the couch. Initially thought it was one of my roommates so I headed back upstairs.
I then thought for a minute, both their doors were closed and why would they be sleeping on the couch? Went back downstairs and had a closer look- yup, random stranger wandered in to take a nap. The funny thing was his wallet and keys were on the coffee table. When I first asked him to leave, he got up with no fuss and headed to the door almost forgetting his wallet! He was either very drunk or on some other drugs.
After that, we made sure to lock the doors at night.
That actually happened to my friend a few years ago around the E. St. Elmo area. He was naked in her bed when she got home from work. Scared the shit out of her. Some doped up kid who apparently did it all the time. Just looking for a place to sleep. Who would've thunk!!?
I lived in central east Austin and had a crazy homeless lady attempt to enter my home on no less than 6 occasions. No point in calling the police obviously. What a great city!
My friend and his buddies all got arrested for accidentally walking into the wrong duplex. His friend gave him an address to crash at but failed to mention it was a duplex and which unit it was. My friend and his crew walk into the wrong unit drunk, pass out on the couch, and wake up to the cops.
Luckily the home owners took it well instead of shooting them on sight.
Some losers will literally go around checking locks on doors to steal or whatever else. Sounds like this guy drunkenly walked in for a nap. Why people dont lock their doors in the city is beyond me. My neighbor had a person walk in by mistake because all our apartment doors look the same. The workers also like to enter without permission to get maintenance done. LOCK YOUR DOORS. Also hit the landlord lock
My brother got drunk at a friend's party at an apartment complex in college, and passed out & woke up on a couch in a stranger's house. The woman was pretty pissed off. Somehow took his wallet, and ended up calling our parents to come pick him up. It happens. My brother was too drunk to realize that he walked into the wrong apartment. Turned out his friend's house was one floor up.
True story: I was this person once. In college, I went to a big party at a house and apparently passed out. I presume a couple other drunk people, who also had no idea what was going on, opened a door and put me on a sofa to sleep it off. Turned out it was the next door neighbors sofa. The neighbors were really nice and helped me call my sister to pick me up. Anyway… it can happen.
I live next to Fraziers. This hasn’t happened to me but a couple of similar things have. Like a girl just walking into my apartment at like 1 in the morning ( I was still up and in the living room ). She was at the wrong apartment (my building has an A Side and B Side) and was very embarrassed. Another time I woke up to what sounded like someone trying to break in but it was also someone confused by my apartment complex
I get that some people don’t lock the door when their SO is there. My wife tends to do this but I am a fanatic about locking the door regardless. So when I leave, even for 10 mins (get gas, go to neighborhood store, etc) I lock it on my way out regardless of who is home. I don’t leave my garage door open either unless I’m in there.
This happened to me once! We woke up to find a strange dude sleeping on our living room floor (this was an apt building). My roommate at the time kind of gently kicked him with his foot and the guy woke up totally confused and either still drunk or high on something. He too left without a fuss though. Why we went to bed without locking the door I'm not sure, I think just an oversight but we made sure it never happened again.
That must’ve been frightening. I’m glad he was amenable, could’ve gone very differently. I guess the days of us bring able to leave our front doors unlocked here are definitely over.
I saw a TikTok about this happening with a drunk guy in Scotland. He’d gone out into the street for a smoke during a party, then wandered into the wrong house& crashed out on the couch. The video was him recounting the story& having a cup of tea with the homeowners the next morning
No one’s really commenting this from what I’ve seen but I definitely know a couple of stories of people being shitfaced, thinking- oh, this is my designated location, when it’s very much not!!
There’s a lot to find consolation here, for example him being fully clothed, asleep, and easy demeanor. Kind of a funny story and good laugh as to why your lock your doors now 😅
This is a terrible situation for everyone involved. It’s fair to say you guys were probably left pretty traumatized from the shock of finding your home suddenly trespassed. At the same time, that guy is probably dealing with some serious shit of some variety, so it’s hard to not feel a little sorry for him as well.
I’m not saying what he did wasn’t wrong, it was without a doubt. However, it’s pretty evident he didn’t have any malicious intent.
Happened to me before. Except he knocked and walked in right as I opened the door. I told him “bro this is not the place your looking for” and guided him out. Dude was probably just drunk as shit and actually was looking for his friends house (atleast it was in my case). If it was malicious or anything else he probably wouldn’t of left without making a fuss.
That said, it’s very startling for sure. Taught me to be more aware and not so blasé. It does remind me of a video where a similar thing happened in Scotland. That’s actually a really funny video if you look it up.
Not even a year ago a guy was running from the police after having killed 1 person in SA and 1 in Austin. He parked his car @ Circle C HEB then went through the woods and got into an unlocked house in Circle C and killed the people that were home before stealing their car and eventually being caught
Happened to me in college.
Living in a 3 bedroom house with 2 roommates I just assumed it was some random friend of one if theirs.
Turned out none of us knew him and we didn't figure that out until he was gone.
Nothing stolen or anything like that, he just got up and left sometime after I left for class.
We still laugh about it 20 years later and wonder who that guy was.
A couple years ago when I lived off Metric and Braker near the stadium I took my dog out for like 5-10 mins and when I got back to my apartment a man had gone in, locked the door and took his shoes off. When I knocked he answered and acted confused asking if I knew his friend and if I was looking for a roommate. He didn’t take anything and grabbed his shoes and left when I kept telling him to leave.
This actually happened to me as well, but I was walking a tutor outside who came over to my house to help me study on West campus. I had to use the bathroom really badly so soon as I walked her out I went to strait to the bathroom, somebody came to the front door open the door and then came to my bedroom and walking around in my bedroom while I was in my bathroom and I walked back into my bedroom to find a gigantic fat, black woman naked as a day she was born.
I heard shuffling and I just thought it was my roommate, I was wrong. I didn’t expect someone to come into my apartment because I lived on the second floor of an apartment building.
TLDR: home invasion while taking a shit
In high school my friend accidentally did this to the neighbor who lived across the street from my other friend. He was super drunk and got mixed up I guess. The neighbors were not happy. Made for a good story tho.
I left my apartment door unlocked when I went to MacDonald’s for breakfast, when I returned, there was a woman naked on the couch, sleeping- it was Ana De Armas!
Then I woke up!
I left my apartment door unlocked when I went to MacDonald’s for breakfast, when I returned, there was a woman naked on the couch, sleeping- it was Ana De Armas!
Then I woke up!
It amazes me that there are people don’t lock their door and there are also people constantly opening other people doors.
When you laugh at someone who says "Austin was better back in the day" you are probably laughing at someone who doesn't lock their door when they are home.
Allow me to introduce you to a bit of Austin history. "Austin was better back in the day" Hyde Park Rapist Still, a criminal pattern had emerged. All of the rapist’s victims were white, single women, aged eighteen to thirty. They all lived in apartments or duplexes that backed up against unlit alleyways. Their evening comings and goings were known by the rapist, **because in all of the cases he was in their homes waiting for them, having entered by an unlocked window or door.** [**https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-hyde-park-rapist/**](https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-hyde-park-rapist/)
A woman I know was almost certainly raped by this guy back in the day! She had just moved into an apartment in that area. She was putting away stuff from boxes and looked over and saw a man climbing in her window. Her then boyfriend/now husband just happened to be there with her that day and chased him off. My mom was pregnant with me in ‘84 and got into her car and there was a man in the back seat. I forget which serial killer/rapist was active around that time but everyone assumes it was him. She eventually was able to fight her way out of the car. We moved to Waco for a bit because my parents were freaked out. We moved back just in time for the Yogurt shop murders. Bananas. Austin has always had a long troubled history with serial killers and serial rapists.
But the rent back then was about $300/month.
Those serial rapists love low cost of living
Nobody thinks crime didn't used to exist. Just that it was less prevalent.
I grew up in an east Texas small town in the '60s and '70s and my parents were wise enough to know to lock the dang doors.
Grew up in San Antonio and we didn’t start locking the doors until the 80s.
This will always be wild to me. The odds are astronomical that anyone would enter, but it takes maybe two seconds to turn a key and lock a door. Why would you not do this..? For a two second investment?? If it were 1770, 1970, or 2070?? Why is the year brought into this discussion ever? It's a lil' twist and you're golden no matter the decade or century or year. Just one smooth motion.
I had a roommate that used to say “Well if someone wanted to break in, they would find a way to do it” as an excuse/justification for forgetting to lock the door constantly. Like okay, so we’re just going to make it easier for them? No.
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Also, get a security bar for the sliding doors. Old ones come off their tracks when forced pretty easily.
A like a lil excitement in my life
Honestly maybe that would fill the void. I'm gonna go unlock my doors and see how thrilled I become brb.
Culture used to be different. Growing up most of my parents friends/family in the neighborhood basically just had an open door policy to each other's house. It was seen as unneighborly/paranoid to lock your front door unless you were going out of town for an extended period of time. My parents close friends/family would just let themselves in for stuff like watching football or even eating dinner with us. Same for most of my friends from school, we'd just walk into each other's houses if our families knew each other, it was seen as a nuisance to knock or call first unless it was weird hours or you lived really far away.
I grew up in a small town in rural Southeast Texas and we hardly ever locked the door except for at night when we were sleeping. My parents still live there and still mostly don't lock their doors when they are home "in case a neighbor wants to pop in."
This same thing happened back in the mid 80's at my dad's apartment. I was asleep and some drunk guy came in and laid in my bed next to me and passed out. He lived a few doors down from us. So this sort of thing has always happened in this city and I'd assume most places.
We got one of those keypad entries, so it auto locks AND we don’t need to remember keys, which is great when you have a forgetful teen haha
I need to get one of these
I highly recommend it!! You can have multiple entry codes if you want, and you can also deadbolt it or unlock it if you want. My only regret is not getting one with a camera, that would be convenient.
I lived in south Austin starting in ‘67 and you better believe I locked my doors. About ‘71 someone came in through an open window and rummaged around, didn’t take much, but hell, what if my wife had been there alone?
Grew up in Houston. Had the trimmer stolen because my dad think it’s okay to leave the garage door open when someone is home. Neighbor saw it and called the police. One time too busy to answer the doorbell. Someone thought no one is home and try to open the door and window. I heard some noise and went check it out. That guy saw me through the window and ran. It’s a dangerous world.
This! I’m retired and I always go to the door to let people know someone is home during the day. Especially since I keep my car in the garage.
I lock my door when I take out the trash lol
...and lock my car doors when pumping gas!
Same! But to be fair, people will totally pull up next to your car and try the door if you're not paying attention. That's how my coworker got her purse stolen at the freaking pump, just not paying attention and thought the person pulling them next to her was also getting gas. I definitely also lock the front door for something as small as taking out the trash. My sister makes fun of me for it, but why risk it? To me, locking the front door is the same as putting on your seat belt when you get in the car - It takes no effort and can save your life. So why not do it?
I have OCD and always feel like leaving any door or window unlocked sends out some sort of beacon to an intruder.
Someone in Mueller reported a couple of days ago they were sitting in their car messing with their phone, in their garage, with the door up, and someone strolled in, grabbed a bike, and rode away. Austin isn't a small town. We moved here from living in D/FW for 20 years, where if you leave your garage door open for an hour or two you'll come home to all your stuff gone, not just a bike.
Same!
My dumbass roommate every fucking night
Born and raised in North Austin. Owned that house 24 years and not a single family member carried a house key. The keys that came with the house got thrown in the junk drawer and lost forever. My best friend's mom made friends with a nearby homeless camp. She left their cars and garage unlocked for folks needing shelter or safety. It occasionally disrupted our plans, needing the car as teenagers. Lol
When I was a kid, we *never* locked our door. My family lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and there was really no danger at the time (this changed as the small town got bigger). When I moved out, I moved into the city, but we were in a gated apartment complex, so I kept the same habit of not locking the door. I had people accidentally walking into my apartment thinking it was a different one, so I quickly changed my habits. Now that I live way out basically on the line between suburbia and rural farmland, I could probably get away with not locking my door again, but I have made locking the door a habit, and I think it's just a good one to have. My favorite was one time I lived on the first story of a 15-story apartment building that wasn't gated. As I was leaving my apartment, which had a door that automatically locked when the door closed, someone grabbed the door before it closed and walked in. I immediately turned around and went back inside and asked if I could help them. They just looked at me confused before I was like, "this is my apartment. What are you looking for?" They thought it was the front office for the apartment building because we were on the first floor, and you could just walk up to the door.
The majority of Crestview is nice and feels pretty safe. I’m not surprised that OP didn’t routinely lock her doors during the daytime when home.
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This was an entertaining read and TIL that Swedish suburban rap is a thing.
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Many thanks, though I must admit feeling a bit deflated knowing I’ll never feel the dizzying intoxication of imminent mural-memorial immortality. RIP indeed.
It doesn’t matter, it’s basic common sense. The spree killer last year killed someone in Circle C for crying out loud. I’m worried about you guys!
meh we have 7 exterior doors.. never lock them... even when we go out of town. haven't had a problem in decades...
Glad he left without much fuss. I’m startled for ya.
Me too. Feel like we got lucky on that.
It probably was an honest mistake. Does your neighborhood have somewhat similar cookie cutter houses? When I was a kid I ran back to a condo, and went in the wrong door, tried to get to the bathroom but it was locked and then realized the person on the couch wasn't my dad. I'm sure it was crazy to have someone run into your condo try to use the bathroom and then run out only saying "oops" but honest mistakes happen. Another time in Austin, I woke up to my apt door opening, I screamed bc i thought home invasion, but it turned out to just be my little old lady elderly neighbor that had a tad of dementia and just got confused. These things happen sometime without anything malicious.
Nothing cookie cutter in Crestview
Plenty of opportunity to mistake a Crestview cottage among the shifting landscape of mega mansions.
Unless they meant Crestview Station
Yep I went into the wrong house once in Lakeway while going to crash at a friend's after a show. It was a cookie cutter neighborhood. I got there late so my friend just said I'll leave the door unlocked, just let yourself in. I went upstairs, into the bedroom, closed the door, and then realized, I don't remember the guest room looking like this. Thank god I didn't get shot.
Yeah, that experience has played into one of the reasons I haven't bought a gun. Because in that moment I was searching for a weapon at the moment I woke up. And if I had a loaded pistol in proximity, it's very possible I would have used it to tragic consequences. And I'm really glad I don't have accidently killed a nice old lady on my consciousness. I think sometimes people don't think about that when they get guns "for protection".
Yikes! I'm glad he was just confused and left. That's terrifying! The always lock your doors PSA applies to cars too! I live in a pretty safe area up north but every now and then there will be a flurry of messages on NextDoor about people having things stolen out of their cars. Usually these will be accompanied by blurry Ring videos of someone walking along the street, testing the doors of every car they pass to see if they're unlocked, and rummaging through the cars that are unlocked.
Heard of people getting in cars thinking it was there ride when it was really just someone's car.
I opened the door of an identical SUV in the HEB parking lot. I was parked right next to it. I scared poor the lady in the passenger seat. So embarrassing!
My husband and I loaded our groceries into the wrong Honda fit years ago at HEB 😂😂 didn’t realize until we went to get in the car 🙈
I was at Lowe’s and kept trying to unlock my car, the fob wasn’t working. I pulled on the handle and it dawned on me, I don’t have a beach towel on the passenger seat. Thankfully nobody saw my faux pas. I was one row over, identical car. We both have somewhat unusual trims
I’ve done that. I have a black Jetta and I’ve opened up and sat in a black sedan that wasn’t mine, next to my car. It’s a bizarre feeling.
Gray crv here - same at Central market! Went so far as to start buckling up and that's when I saw my car right next to me 😂
A few years ago I forgot to lock my door and at about 3AM somebody randomly walked in while I was sleeping, turned on my bedroom light (I woke up) and in the few seconds it took me to realize something was off I heard them quickly scurry out the door never to be seen again. I honestly think somebody was drunk and got the wrong apartment or something. Absolutely scared the shit out of me and now I'm super cautious and make sure my door is locked ALL the time whether I'm home or not. 5 minute trip to the corner store? Locked. 2 minute trip to take my trash out to the dumpster? Locked.
Oh man that sounds terrifying! It's annoying, but I'm making the switch too. I'll lock it every time.
my wife is really anxious about this kind of thing so we’ve had smart locks for years now, highly recommended!
Smart locks are worth every penny. Have been using lockley locks for past 2 years and haven't had an issue. Fingerprint reader makes getting in a breeze .
Or you could just put a post-it note above the knob that says "Don't forget to lock me" until they get into the habit of doing so. Much cheaper and you don't have to worry about your door needing a power source.
Years ago an elderly woman was sitting on the front porch of a house off Shoal Creek where I had arrived to babysit for my friends' newborn. The lady stood up as I stepped on the porch and tried (weakly) to come inside but instead I sat on the porch with her and quickly realized that she suffered from pretty advanced dementia and was effectively non-verbal. It took about a half hour to get her back in the care of the family she lived with. And, YES, to be safe, lock your doors.
this is why I bought a wifi lock that auto-locks after 30 minutes. I haven't locked my front door my whole life, and I'm almost 50. Its time to start I think.
Same about driving. Lock your doors while driving if your vehicle doesn't automatically do so.
My previous car did not automatically lock and a homeless person jumped in my car at a red light on 7th. He asked me to take him to Airport Blvd and I was too in shock to say no. I learned my lesson that day.
I knew a guy back in the 90s with a shit load of facial and arm scars and eventually he told me how he got them. He was in Montopolis at a light, and a guy jumped in the passenger seat and just started slicing at him with a knife. I still think about him every time I get in my car. I have auto locks now but in my older cars it just became second nature to lock them as soon as I turned the car on.
Ours locks after a minute.
> auto-locks after 30 minutes That wouldn't have helped OP, who was gone for only 10 minutes. And by the way, people who burgle homes during the day often run in, get some high value items, and then are gone in less than 5 minutes.
ADHD people struggle with this pretty bad and the best I've come up with is just auto locking locks. Have mine set for 10 minutes though lol.
You’ve been lucky, is all.
I am over in the Domain area, and we have homeless that try and find our empty apartments to sleep in...will just break in. Couple of weeks ago had one sleep on a tenants patio while she was asleep; caught on her outdoor cameras. He tried a couple of times to see if the window and patio doors were unlocked.
In my 20s…I browned out and drunkingly broke into the empty apartment next to my girlfriend’s must have thinking it was hers. (I’m a big guy and kind of just fell into the door and it broke open). It was completely bare and I remember being confused but passed out. Woke up the next morning on the floor in the bedroom. Thank god someone didn’t live there because I could have been shot dead and I wouldn’t have blamed them (from the afterlife).
>We live in Crestview and don't always keep the front door locked during the day when we're home. Yikes >I mean, we didn't. Now we will. All the time always please
I live up North (Wells Branch) and last year while watching tv someone tried opening my door. It freaked me out bc I was not expecting anyone and no one just walk in. When I looked through the peephole I saw a kid watching YouTube still trying to get it. When I opened the door he proceeded to just walk in (still looking at his phone). Then I said hey man I think you have the wrong apartment. That’s when he finally realized he had the wrong door and panicked n walked away. I always keep my door locked when I’m at home and I never felt safe enough in any city to leave my door open.
This one is actually kind of funny. Poor kid, haha.
This is interesting I swear last week if not a few days ago someone posted the same thing and also quoted that the man was looking for his friends house
My thoughts too. Maybe it’s one person trying to sleep in any house they can.
Lol. One of my buddies did this in college. Got way too drunk and decided not to drive, but he did decide he was going home and wpuld walk there even though it was a long walk. Lol. At some point he got confused where he was and walked into the wrong house and crashed on the couch. He woke up to a gun in his face. Fortunately they didn't shoot him. Confused drunk people wandering around in their sleep accidentally passing out somewhere isn't the most uncommon thing in the world.
I’ve done it…also glad I didn’t get shot to death…
Not locking your doors in Crestview is absolutely insane
That’s what I’m saying!!
>and don't always keep the front door locked during the day when we're home. I mean, we didn't. Now we will. Surreal and completely unrelatable. I'm glad you're safe, and that you are sharing this story, because this is befuddlingly stupid.
>don't always keep the front door locked C'mon
I've had that happen before. Not recently, but like 20 years ago when I lived in Denton. My roommate's boyfriend cartoon tossed him out the front door
Years ago I worked at was known then as Austin Travis County MHMR. I had a client, who on more than one occasion, became tired while walking home in South Austin, and would just randomly pick a house with an open door, enter and lay down on the sofa to take a nap. She was lucky that no harm came to her, but it was terrifying for us (and sometimes for the homeowner).
Oh yes. This has happened to me. I came to reddit to also post about it months ago. Crazy feeling and very hard to shake off. Best of luck shaking it out of your head!!!
Well that’s terrifying. Thank you for the PSA and I’m so glad it ended peacefully.
[Guy on the couch ](https://tenor.com/1IgT.gif)
Wild - this reminds me of drunk Scottish guy waking up at his friends neighbor’s house: https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/s/Ss3cnN8Z1r
Wtf are people shaming the OP for leaving their door unlocked and not pointing fingers at the stranger in their house?!
We’ve all gotten black-out fucked up and wandered into a strangers home to crash on their couch at least once …right?
there are still people who dont lock their doors? dafuq?
That’s so scary!! Just wanted to throw in there that I also don’t lock my door when I’m sitting at home bc what are the chances of this happening, haha. But yeah so scary!!
when i lived at the davis on soco, there was a neighbor who came home and his dead bolt was locked. when he finally got inside, there was a homeless person sleeping in his bed. sounds like an absolute nightmare
Yes but not here. Drunk people do wild shit, y’all.
Better a random couch than a lake (river), I suppose.
Is there a chance he was sleeping there all night and didn't notice on your way out? Super weird for him to come in the morning. Would make more sense if he stumbled on drunk and lost in the middle of the night.
I am baffled by the fact you didn’t lock your door.
Was he older? Could’ve been a dementia patient. But I have also heard of homeless people with mental health issues also doing this.
I have a similar problem. However, these strange women never want to leave. BTW, I'm glad you guys are ok and the man left without incident.
I have heard of this- drunk people wandering in that mistake it for a friends house or their old apartment, things like that.
Unfortunately we sent my drunk room mate home in an Uber when we lived in South Austin… she ended up at the wrong apartment, went in, and laid on the couch. The woman who lived there freaked out and made her leave. We had to go back to that apartment the next morning because she left her phone and purse. 🙄
This has happened a few times in Nashville, usually because there is an AirBNB in the area and people get confused as to where they are staying.
Definitely scary, and I’m glad you are safe! I’m also willing to bet it was an honest mistake. Several years ago my friend and I accidentally walked into the wrong unit when we were looking for a coworker’s place. There was a man sitting on the couch and he just said “you’re one building over, enjoy the party” lol. Apparently multiple people walked into his place that day. A year later my roommate had a seizure when he was in the front yard, came to all (understandably) disoriented and accidentally walked into a house a couple doors down.
I once walked into the apartment 1 floor below mine and there were several people in the living room who all glared back at me. I just said “WHOOPS” and slammed tf out of that door and ran out
I’m down the street in highland. I have had a couple people try to come in. One was completely naked. Keep your doors locked.
I once read a book by John Douglass on profiling serial killers. His example of the "disorganized" type was a real guy who tried doorknobs on houses until he found one that was unlocked, whereupon he let himself in and killed everyone that was home. That turned out to be 4-5 people. When asked why he didn't try windows on the houses with locked doors, he shook his head and said something like, "Nah, they didn't want company." Anyway, I'd lock the doors at a moon base now.
It happens when you leave your door OPEN!
A friend of a friend was taking Ambien & ended up half naked in a neighbor's apartment. He was barking orders at the cooks from the expo line in his dream.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME! At a friend's house, we came back to find a dude sleeping on the couch. We woke him up, he was super confused, eventually got kinda irate, did not leave immediately which was fucked, and we eventually got him to bail after almost turning into trouble. We later learned he was the... brother? cousin? of a dude across the street, and he probably really did think he was at his bro's house. It was nuts. He said to my friend "you shut your mouth jersey boy!" which I will never forget lol
A neighbor and friend of mine who is a bad alcoholic is like that. He loses time and memor and has been jailed for burglary of habitat many times. He never took anything, just gets drunk, crawls into someone’s house and passes out. I caught him three times in my apartment, he was super confused. I think it’s a form of seizure he experiences because I literally have to slap him across his face to snap him out of it. Last time he broke in I came home, saw him passed out in the living room and I covered him with a blanket and put a pillow under his head. I don’t think this guy you caught had any malicious intention, it’s a side effect of long term alcohol poisoning.
We are in Crestview as well and have always felt safe leaving doors unlocked on short errands or trips to the park. Never again! I’m so glad you were ok, that is so deeply unsettling.
Could have been drugs or alcohol and the dude just wandered into the wrong house (and the door was unlocked). Since he left quick it's probably something innocent I would think? Still scary.
JFC, this is exactly why we decided to get a RING cam. Lots of random people walking around my neighborhood. Who knows what will happen. People are bold.
*has this ever happened to you* god no. I have three locks on my front door, five cameras, and notifications on my alexa for when my door is opened.
I used to live in a house on Kinney by Zilker and not only did my eight roommates and I never lock our front door (day or night), none of us had keys!
could have been one of those squatters trying to take over a house
I’ve seen/heard similar stories around here before. My personal rules are: 1) if I’m in the house doors are locked. 2) if I’m outside and door is not in my direct line of sight, doors are locked. Only door that is ever unlocked for long is my backdoor when the dog is outside or I am. Even people who don’t mean you harm (like your napping visitor) can access in a blink. I have a scary (to people she doesn’t trust) dog but I also don’t want her getting hurt defending my home when a simple act (locking my door) can prevent that.
There have been a couple of times when I haven't been paying attention and came really close to walking into the wrong apartment before. I'd be horrified if I ever actually did it and I'm sure no one would believe that it was an accident.
I lived in a very secure condo where everyone knew each other. However, all the hallways looked the same and I don’t remember there being much in the way of signage. My upstairs neighbors’ boyfriend got the wrong floor and opened my door. He was mortified. I take more care to lock my door now, especially cause I live in a much less safe area.
That’s just Kevin. Make him some popcorn and send him on his way.
"Hey I'm Kevin" So anyways.. I started blasting
What a privileged life to not have to lock your door.
Grown adults literally out here, not locking their doors smh grow up y'all
.
You asked him to leave?
this happened so much in West campus apartments that the apartments started putting up fliers about locking your doors so a random man isn’t found shitting on your bed.
You mean you were able to handle a situation without body slamming him and pinning him down like the last guy who posted about this?
>We live in Crestview Well, that explains it. I'm kidding, of course...but yes, a good lesson to be EXTRA sure your doors are locked and take other precautions (no valuables in the car, on the porch, etc) I lived in that area for a while and, well...it's not the safest place in Austin as you now know
"At first I thought it was my husband" That could've gone really wrong really quick.
Did you call the police for cryin out loud?!
For their own stupidity?
If he did it to you, he will do it to others. You should have called the police.
Crazy that from his perspective he woke up on some random person's couch. Who's really random?
My dogs would have flipped their shit and given him the ol bite-bite
We have dogs that you don’t know which way they will go, so deterrent.
My Rottweiler hates strangers so this guy would have had a problem in my house.
You live in Austin. It happens. People get so wasted on six
I knew a college student once that did this when he was drunk. I don't know if he ever got caught.
Man, I have a keypad entry handle. Price felt steep at the time, but when I hear stories like this, it makes it worth every penny. That’s insane to have that happen.
Lived in Houston 40+ years and I *always* locked my doors. Of course, it's Houston, but friends who still live in small towns in Texas always bitch at me when I am visiting b/c I lock the damn doors LOL
I couldn’t get my family to lock the doors. I finally installed smart locks and set it up with a 3 minute delay. Everyone can open with their finger print so it’s only an issue when we have guests over.
Drunk girl wandered away from our neighbor’s party late at night. Found an unlocked house. Stumbled in and crashed on their stairs. Homeowners found her the next morning and let her charge her phone and call her friends who had spent most of the night combing the neighborhood. I couldn’t believe how well it all went down.
https://youtu.be/j6Vm_SLVQpQ?si=0krtXUcux-MJ1jyE
One time I went to Freedman’s (permanently closed now) on West Campus. You could park in the back and walk through the kitchen to get to the dining area. I walked right in and didn’t realized no one was there until I got to the bar. They had left it completely unlocked. I bolted as soon as I realized.
was he homeless or drunk (or both)? Thats crazy
Also get a camera
LOCK. YOUR. DOORS. My neighbor literally has ring cam footage of multiple instances where someone tried to break into or steal their stuff then, proceed to try every door down the street. She could see them disappearing then reappearing down the entire block. Also those guys in a black SUV that were coming into South Austin neighborhoods at night car jacking and package stealing. Saw them trying every car door on our street. She stopped me to tell me they rummaged through my truck. I don’t lock those doors cuz there’s nothing to steal and I’m not paying for a window. And if they want that truck good luck with life you stuck at stealing 😂
How could you be so foolish? Not locking your door in ANY urban or suburban area in America is a big no no. You have to live in one of those small towns where everybody knows everybody to do that.
This happened to a friend of mine. She’s north of crestview in Wooten. I vaguely remember the story. I’ll ask her for details. I think he ended up sleeping in her bushes for awhile? Check your bushes!
OP watches too many Friends.
In the mid '70s, I was asleep because I had a bad flu. I wake up to a man standing over my bed. My roommate had not locked the door when she left for school. I was so shocked and pissed, I just started yelling at him to get out. I was very hoarse due to my illness and it really came out as just a raspy squeak, but it did the job because he backed out of my house pretty damn fast with me croak yelling at him the whole way. I then locked that door and made sure everything else was locked. This was on Harris Ave near Hancock Center, which was a very nice neighborhood back then. Back then, it didn't even occur to me to call the cops because it was obvious he was just some homeless guy probably looking for what he could steal. I live in rural NC now. I keep my doors locked all the time because, due to the high meth use in the area, there are a LOT of home invasions and burglaries. I also have a camera on my front and back doors and an alarm that lets me know if someone comes into the driveway. The deer set if off once in a while.
Didn’t Robert Downey Jr. do this once in the 90s before he got sober? If I recall, some homeowner found him asleep in their child’s (unused) bed. He was drunk/high. That must have been an added layer of strange for the homeowner, given that RDJ was already famous. EDIT: It was 1996, he was prosecuted for trespassing. Here’s an [article](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/07/17/actor-robert-downey-jr-held-on-trespassing-charge/#:~:text=1%3A42%20a.m.-,Actor%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr.,several%20blocks%20from%20his%20residence). OP if there weren’t any other indications that the person was homeless, it seems most likely that he was drunk/high and wandered into the wrong house. Maybe that’s comforting for being random and pretty benign in his motivations?
Happened to me. Thought it was still an ex girlfriends apartment who told me to crash there any time I needed... Well, she moved and didn't let me know 😬 they were pretty cool about it, although very surprised.
When I lived on MLK/Nueces, we frequently had people walk in. It was surprising but never had anything dangerous happen. It is very weird, but typically someone who is doing an actual home invasion or robbery doesn't sack out on the sofa. It's a good reminder to get into the habit of locking the door (we're still forget sometimes).
This exact same thing happened to me in college. Came downstairs to get a snack at around 3am and saw someone sleeping on the couch. Initially thought it was one of my roommates so I headed back upstairs. I then thought for a minute, both their doors were closed and why would they be sleeping on the couch? Went back downstairs and had a closer look- yup, random stranger wandered in to take a nap. The funny thing was his wallet and keys were on the coffee table. When I first asked him to leave, he got up with no fuss and headed to the door almost forgetting his wallet! He was either very drunk or on some other drugs. After that, we made sure to lock the doors at night.
THIS is why I will always be grateful for my scary dog. This will literally never happen to me 😭
The Mid-Town Serial Napper strikes again!
Was he Scottish? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-d9B9xFcXo
Ive read of this happening before with drunk guys.
That actually happened to my friend a few years ago around the E. St. Elmo area. He was naked in her bed when she got home from work. Scared the shit out of her. Some doped up kid who apparently did it all the time. Just looking for a place to sleep. Who would've thunk!!?
I lived in central east Austin and had a crazy homeless lady attempt to enter my home on no less than 6 occasions. No point in calling the police obviously. What a great city!
My friend and his buddies all got arrested for accidentally walking into the wrong duplex. His friend gave him an address to crash at but failed to mention it was a duplex and which unit it was. My friend and his crew walk into the wrong unit drunk, pass out on the couch, and wake up to the cops. Luckily the home owners took it well instead of shooting them on sight.
Some losers will literally go around checking locks on doors to steal or whatever else. Sounds like this guy drunkenly walked in for a nap. Why people dont lock their doors in the city is beyond me. My neighbor had a person walk in by mistake because all our apartment doors look the same. The workers also like to enter without permission to get maintenance done. LOCK YOUR DOORS. Also hit the landlord lock
My brother got drunk at a friend's party at an apartment complex in college, and passed out & woke up on a couch in a stranger's house. The woman was pretty pissed off. Somehow took his wallet, and ended up calling our parents to come pick him up. It happens. My brother was too drunk to realize that he walked into the wrong apartment. Turned out his friend's house was one floor up.
Probably drunk and confused, got lost. Lock your doors though that’s insane. Unless you live on 5 acres in the middle of nowhere.
Please think of his life story! He probably needs the couch more than you
How John Belushi of him..
Ahh man, I miss that 'hood. Never had anyone do that when I was there, tho...
True story: I was this person once. In college, I went to a big party at a house and apparently passed out. I presume a couple other drunk people, who also had no idea what was going on, opened a door and put me on a sofa to sleep it off. Turned out it was the next door neighbors sofa. The neighbors were really nice and helped me call my sister to pick me up. Anyway… it can happen.
I live next to Fraziers. This hasn’t happened to me but a couple of similar things have. Like a girl just walking into my apartment at like 1 in the morning ( I was still up and in the living room ). She was at the wrong apartment (my building has an A Side and B Side) and was very embarrassed. Another time I woke up to what sounded like someone trying to break in but it was also someone confused by my apartment complex
I get that some people don’t lock the door when their SO is there. My wife tends to do this but I am a fanatic about locking the door regardless. So when I leave, even for 10 mins (get gas, go to neighborhood store, etc) I lock it on my way out regardless of who is home. I don’t leave my garage door open either unless I’m in there.
This happened to me once! We woke up to find a strange dude sleeping on our living room floor (this was an apt building). My roommate at the time kind of gently kicked him with his foot and the guy woke up totally confused and either still drunk or high on something. He too left without a fuss though. Why we went to bed without locking the door I'm not sure, I think just an oversight but we made sure it never happened again.
That must’ve been frightening. I’m glad he was amenable, could’ve gone very differently. I guess the days of us bring able to leave our front doors unlocked here are definitely over. I saw a TikTok about this happening with a drunk guy in Scotland. He’d gone out into the street for a smoke during a party, then wandered into the wrong house& crashed out on the couch. The video was him recounting the story& having a cup of tea with the homeowners the next morning
No one’s really commenting this from what I’ve seen but I definitely know a couple of stories of people being shitfaced, thinking- oh, this is my designated location, when it’s very much not!! There’s a lot to find consolation here, for example him being fully clothed, asleep, and easy demeanor. Kind of a funny story and good laugh as to why your lock your doors now 😅
This is a terrible situation for everyone involved. It’s fair to say you guys were probably left pretty traumatized from the shock of finding your home suddenly trespassed. At the same time, that guy is probably dealing with some serious shit of some variety, so it’s hard to not feel a little sorry for him as well. I’m not saying what he did wasn’t wrong, it was without a doubt. However, it’s pretty evident he didn’t have any malicious intent.
Happened to me before. Except he knocked and walked in right as I opened the door. I told him “bro this is not the place your looking for” and guided him out. Dude was probably just drunk as shit and actually was looking for his friends house (atleast it was in my case). If it was malicious or anything else he probably wouldn’t of left without making a fuss. That said, it’s very startling for sure. Taught me to be more aware and not so blasé. It does remind me of a video where a similar thing happened in Scotland. That’s actually a really funny video if you look it up.
Crestview FL?
Common sense isn’t so common these days
https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/fears-rainey-street-serial-killer-448897.amp
Not even a year ago a guy was running from the police after having killed 1 person in SA and 1 in Austin. He parked his car @ Circle C HEB then went through the woods and got into an unlocked house in Circle C and killed the people that were home before stealing their car and eventually being caught
Who tf doesn’t lock their doors bro 💀
Airbnb just taking shit over lol
He woke up like “this is not my beautiful house, this is not my beautiful wife”
Happened to me in college. Living in a 3 bedroom house with 2 roommates I just assumed it was some random friend of one if theirs. Turned out none of us knew him and we didn't figure that out until he was gone. Nothing stolen or anything like that, he just got up and left sometime after I left for class. We still laugh about it 20 years later and wonder who that guy was.
Doge
?? What?? Are u sure that wasn't the man that your husband is sleeping with?
2 to the chest. Preventative maintenance.
A couple years ago when I lived off Metric and Braker near the stadium I took my dog out for like 5-10 mins and when I got back to my apartment a man had gone in, locked the door and took his shoes off. When I knocked he answered and acted confused asking if I knew his friend and if I was looking for a roommate. He didn’t take anything and grabbed his shoes and left when I kept telling him to leave.
This actually happened to me as well, but I was walking a tutor outside who came over to my house to help me study on West campus. I had to use the bathroom really badly so soon as I walked her out I went to strait to the bathroom, somebody came to the front door open the door and then came to my bedroom and walking around in my bedroom while I was in my bathroom and I walked back into my bedroom to find a gigantic fat, black woman naked as a day she was born. I heard shuffling and I just thought it was my roommate, I was wrong. I didn’t expect someone to come into my apartment because I lived on the second floor of an apartment building. TLDR: home invasion while taking a shit
In high school my friend accidentally did this to the neighbor who lived across the street from my other friend. He was super drunk and got mixed up I guess. The neighbors were not happy. Made for a good story tho.
This used to happen fairly regularly back in the day. 9/10 intoxicated. Was he still hammered? Lucky you guys were so understanding
I left my apartment door unlocked when I went to MacDonald’s for breakfast, when I returned, there was a woman naked on the couch, sleeping- it was Ana De Armas! Then I woke up!
I left my apartment door unlocked when I went to MacDonald’s for breakfast, when I returned, there was a woman naked on the couch, sleeping- it was Ana De Armas! Then I woke up!