Video: Unwelcome Houseguest Caught on Tape?

If this video is real, get ready to have a new fear after absorbing all 5 minutes and 51 seconds of it. In short: this guy noticed food missing from his apartment and set up a hidden camera, the footage of which showed a woman living in a lofted storage area and coming out in the middle of the night to raid his fridge and pee in his sink. We sort of want it to be real in the same way we wanted the Blair Witch Project to be real.

But it can't be real, right? We're guessing that it's viral marketing for something, perhaps the website it was originally posted on, which has an author that looks suspiciously like the lanky lady caught creeping in the apartment. We contacted them to get some answers and they directed us to their publicist, who assures us that this is in no way viral marketing for the website. So far they haven't been able to give us an answer as to how they came upon the video, or provide us with the man's name or what neighborhood he lives in so we can call the precinct... but they have asked us to link back to their site if we posted it. So with that, the needle on our bullshit detector is in the red.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on December 9, 2009 4:06 PM

Comments [rss]

Wza

Wack.

ennuipoet

1) No time code on the tape, so fakery is easy.

2) Might have been plausible up to the point where he just "happens to get up for water"

3) Nice battery on that camcorder running in IR/Night mode for 8 hours. Sure, could have plugged it in, but the glowing green light on the power cord might just be a touch obvious.

4) Highly suspicious experimental balloon and forged invite to the White House State Dinner visible in frame.

It's BS

Rocknrope

I really hate contrived viral bullshit like this. Someone please lulz them.

NannyState

I want one of those creepy loft stowaways to sneak down while I'm out and pay my rent.

ilovejapgirls

an attempt to get rich like those folks from 'Paranormal Activity"

sarah77

No New Yorker I know has enough spare storage space to fit a whole woman. BS indeed!

robingee

It's the Montauk Monster! Wait... is that still a thing? It's Sasquatch!

dustyrebel

"but they have asked us to link back to their site if we posted it."

Why? If the video is on YouTube isn't it fair game?

jaycjay

"So far they haven't been able to give us an answer as to how they came upon the video, or provide us with the man's name or what neighborhood he lives in"

They probably don't know anything about it, because it's on several other sites as well. They probably either stumbled across it or someone sent a link to them -- that is, they don't know any more than Gothamist.

But you could try sending the original poster a message through the youtube account where he posted the video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jstn827

jaycjay

And be sure to check out his other video, to see the "creeper" dancing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jstn827#p/a/u/0/-SSP_B0hY44

potsmoker

yup, this was a japanese news of the wierd item last year.

the guy says he taped the footage, BS.

no way someone can hide at night, never move, cough, fart, snore etc etc.

bullshit detector explodes...

jaycjay

No, the incident in Japan was different: it actually happened:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2054057/Homeless-woman-comes-out-of-closet.html

See the difference: actual newspapers spoke to actual cops about it.

You may have had to have been in a Japanese home to know exactly what that "cupboard" was. But probably that story is where he got the idea for this video.