Lived there for six months

Noises in the basement: police find naked man

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Mysterious noises under her house have worried an elderly Californian woman for weeks. The 93-year-old thought that wild animals had taken up residence in her crawl space. But when the police were called, the officers found a naked man there.

The 93 resident from El Sereno had been plagued by the noises for some time. "Most of the time it was late at night. We thought there were animals under the house," the woman's son-in-law, Ricardo Silva, told NBC News.

The resident's daughter was sneaking around the house
Over the past week, the noise had become louder. "Like someone was knocking on the door. As my wife was walking around the house, she heard banging under the house. She suspected something was wrong," said the son-in-law.

You can see pictures of the 93-year-old's house here: 

The relatives notified the police. Instead of animals, they found a naked man in the crawl space - he had made himself comfortable in a small room where electrical cables and pipes had been laid. The police tried to drive the man out of his quarters with dogs - but without success. 

Tear gas drove the intruder out of his hiding place
The officers then used tear gas. Only on the third attempt did the unwanted guest crawl out of the cellar, which is only about 60 centimetres high. The intruder was identified as Isaac Betancourt and arrested for trespassing. It is unknown how long the 27-year-old had been living in the crawl space. 

The family believes that the young man had been living in the cellar for up to six months. The son-in-law of those affected showed understanding for the unwanted lodger: "It's a bizarre story, but probably not unusual. These days, people are looking for shelter," explained Silva.