In El Sereno, Southern California, Los Angeles police arrested a naked man who allegedly lived for up to six months in the crawl space (space between the floor and the floor) under the home of a 93-year-old woman , reports NBC. It all started with unusual noises being heard under the house for weeks.
“It was usually late at night, and we thought they were animals,” said Ricardo Silva, the owner’s son-in-law. However, on Thursday evening, the noises intensified, turning into knocking synchronized with the footsteps of Ricardo Silva's wife. “She said, ‘There’s something wrong,’” he said.
Los Angeles police intervention
The family then contacted the police, who discovered a naked man in this narrow space under the house. Identified as Issac Betancourt, 27, the individual refused to come out despite the efforts of the police. “He was not afraid of dogs, and the first two attempts with gas did not succeed in getting him out,” Ricardo Silva explained. The intervention, which lasted several hours, required the use of tear gas to force him to leave his hiding place. This operation attracted the attention of the neighborhood and forced the family to evacuate the premises.
It's unclear how long Isaac Betancourt had been living under the house, but the family estimates he could have been hiding there for up to six months. This space, only 60 cm high, extends under the entire house and has three entry points, which humans would have used to enter and exit discreetly.
Social distress in California
Isaac Betancourt was arrested for trespassing, but it's unclear whether he has an attorney or has explained his behavior. The family, for their part, announced that they were going to secure the crawl space to avoid re-experiencing such a situation.
This incident also raises broader questions about residential security and precarious living conditions in certain urban areas such as Los Angeles and more generally in California. As of July 2024, the partial homeless count found that 154,641 people were homeless, an increase of 2% from 2023. Finally, California has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the United States, with 367 people per 100,000 inhabitants.
