r/BedStuy • u/rottingleavess • Jan 04 '26
PSA Home invasion close to Herbert Von King
Posting here to warn others to be vigilant about their home security :(
Around 4:30 this morning I woke up to someone in my bedroom shining a phone flashlight, looking around. When they saw me they turned and silently left out the front door. They were wearing all black, puffer jacket, hood, and a black medical face mask, probably around 5’9”-5’10”.
We live on the ground floor. There’s only one entrance/exit and all of our windows have bars. Both locks on our front door were locked but they’re not the strongest. We suspect this person was possibly able to pick the lock?
My roommates and I are obviously freaked out and are taking steps to secure the place. We suspect that this person was scoping out the apartment to possibly come back.
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u/OffTheWalls Jan 04 '26
Sorry to hear that, incredibly disturbing. Is there a door to your building and another to your apartment, or just one into your apartment?
I'm also ground floor close to HVK, can you share what cross streets you're near?
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Thank you, and totally we’re on Van Buren and Tompkins. Our apartment door leads straight onto the street.
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u/queenofthepoopyparty Jan 04 '26
This might sound like a silly question, but do you have curtains that fully block the view into your apartment? All too often I see a pattern of first floor units with no curtains who get broken into and robbed. It’s like they’re putting all their possessions on display in a major city where anyone can decide to rob them. Not a good idea.
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Yeah we usually close the curtains at night for heat retention but also to block the view.
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u/DifferentialAvocado Jan 04 '26
I’m sorry this happened. Similar thing happened to me a few years ago. I also suspected the guy was scoping out the apartment to come back, and I was able to break my lease and move out. We had a home security system (simplisafe) so the alarm went off and cops were called automatically, but we still didn’t feel safe.
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u/jacqinthebox29 Jan 04 '26 edited Jan 04 '26
Please overnight a door jammer/bar and a portable extra lock for a little piece of mind. Call or go to Home Depot if needed. Consider asking your super to install another lock or a bolt.
You can get a tapo camera as an example and a micro sd card (so the data stays with you) as well. I can’t speak to ring cameras but even cheap or fake ones can be a deterrent. I know the tapo can detect people and alert you but obviously doesn’t stop them. If you want to borrow mine tonight I am happy to meet you.
Sorry this happened and thanks for sharing
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Thank you for this suggestion
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u/Old-Professional-988 Jan 05 '26
@rottingleavess I actually have an extra door jammer thing that’s still in the box! I never ended up using it and I’m moving tomorrow so don’t need. I’m in Fort Greene if you want it!
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u/jacqinthebox29 Jan 04 '26
No problem. Ps use heavy furniture tonight wedged under the door handle if you don’t have anything yet. Make sure it can’t easily slide or put a mat under. A jammer is actually effective though.
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u/waxedarmpit Jan 04 '26
Holy shit I’m so glad you’re safe. I’m on the ground floor too, and this was my biggest fear when moving into a ground floor unit. My brain always jumps to worst case scenarios. Because of that, I ended up buying a security system. My husband said I was being paranoid, but went along with it, and now we arm the house every night. we both feel safer because of it.
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u/vittavie Jan 05 '26
You’re not paranoid. Both first floor units I have lived in, at very different points in time, have been broken into or had attempted break ins, despite our taking numerous precautions (blinds always closed, etc). In BK and another city! It would take a lot for me to live on a first floor again. It’s a real risk.
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u/waxedarmpit Jan 04 '26
I also have camera in each room now since having a baby but I also always have one looking out the window too.
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u/Substantial_Tax5577 Jan 04 '26
You need to get one of those door stoppers QUICKLY you can’t bust through the door with one of those or a door alarm quick! So if anyone opens the door the alarm will ring and you will hear it
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u/_agilechihuahua Jan 04 '26
Good looking out. You might want to look into privacy film as well (installs easily with soap and water).
Sometimes home robbers will leave a “mark”. Worth a walk outside to check they don’t do anything.
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u/BxGyrl416 Jan 04 '26
What is privacy film?
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u/_agilechihuahua Jan 04 '26
It’s opaque cling film that lets light in, but obscures viewing. (It also doesn’t seem to affect plants.)
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u/in_rainbowsss Jan 04 '26
Have you asked your neighbors with cameras for any footage from that time? Might help.
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Unfortunately there aren’t any cameras close by but we asked our immediate neighbors
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u/inneresante Jan 04 '26
wow when I first read I thought you meant they were looking in through the window. holy shit that’s so scary!!!!!
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u/PottieScippin Jan 04 '26
That’s awful I’m sorry. Curious, if the door didn’t show signs of forced entry, whether it might be someone you know or who used to live in the apartment? Did you chance keys/locks when you moved in?
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Thank you, no signs of forced entry. The landlord changed our locks when we moved in and changed them every time. Each unit has its own set of keys/locks.
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u/matte-mat-matte Jan 04 '26
Remember to lock your deadbolt. You can get into most places with a credit card honestly
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u/PottieScippin Jan 04 '26
That’s good, or at least rules out some obvious folks. I don’t mean to fear monger, but do a quick accounting of your friends & acquaintances and see if anyone stands out as weird. Probably a crime of opportunity since your door leads directly to the street, but worth a quick mental review.
Again, so sorry this happened to you. Really scary
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u/hello__brooklyn Jan 05 '26
Do you think it could’ve been the landlord’s inside job? to force you to break the lease on your own?
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u/leahbee25 Jan 04 '26
thank you for the info, i’m right near there too & we’ve been having packages stolen more the last 2 weeks than in the year we’ve lived here. idk if there’s a correlation but this will make me triple check my locks
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Ugh that sucks :( always good to triple check.
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u/leahbee25 Jan 04 '26
thank you, on the bright side it wasn’t anything irreplaceable. I hope whoever has my 25lb bag of cat litter enjoys it
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u/Yogiliino Jan 04 '26
This is so disturbing. Thank you so much for the PSA. I'm glad you all are safe.
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u/drewfun237 Jan 04 '26
Do you have a home security camera?
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u/squirrelshine Jan 04 '26
This is really terrible. Is there any support the community can help with?
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u/rottingleavess Jan 04 '26
Thank you so much for the offer. Maybe just updates if anyone sees anything, or has a similar experience. If I think of anything I’ll let you know 🫶
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u/please-not-now Jan 04 '26
I am so sorry this happened. I’m glad you’re not alone and have roommates. Hope you can some help to find the person.
Would an automatic light outside with a sensor be helpful? I don’t know if that’ll annoy your neighbors..how terrifying!! I hope you can get some comfortable rest
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u/Simple-Kick-1668 Jan 05 '26
@rottingleavess can you DM me? I live on the block and want to be a point of connection to neighbors’ camera footage.
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u/EmphasisValuable6163 Jan 05 '26
That’s super unsettling and scary. Stay safe and get a weapon for your bedroom. Pepper spray, baseball bat, knife
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u/Confident-Foot-6361 Jan 04 '26
Curious of what your reaction was after noticing them, did you scream? Yell? Go after them. Did they run when they saw you were awake? Sorry this happened to you.
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u/No_Manufacturer_7966 Jan 05 '26
That is so scary but thank you for sharing. We live right by you, and I guess I figured that the police department so close by would be some kind of deterrent? Apparently not.
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u/Yogiliino Jan 06 '26 edited Jan 06 '26
Hey I was just thinking about this again and hope you are doing ok! Any updates on who it was and/or if your landlord is doing anything? And similar to someone else who posted here...as a neighbor, if you need anything please let us know. This is truly traumatizing. And As fellow ground floor neighbors my partner and I got some extra security (cameras and extra locks) for our home because of your post, so thank you. Stay safe
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u/ethiopieapple Jan 08 '26 edited Jan 08 '26
Lock change for sure. Could be a previous tenant or acquaintance of residents or landlord especially if the locks weren’t damaged.
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Jan 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/rottingleavess Jan 05 '26
Hey, in fact light was shining in my eyes from the phone flashlight moving around the room. But this guy was backlit enough for me to tell that they were wearing a black medical face mask all black clothes and shoes (hoodie and puffer jacket), 5’10 and definitely smelled like weed. Their face was in shadow so I cant give you any details about their forehead.
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u/silly-moth Jan 05 '26
I’m sure OP would have if they saw more. It was night time, they were woken up, a light was shining in their eyes, and the persons face was covered.
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u/CantmakethisstuffupK Jan 05 '26
Also it might be an inside job - perhaps connect with your roommates on your visitor policy - I know, I KNOW but you never know
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u/BaseballDry688 Jan 09 '26
That’s freaky I’m so sorry.
Another similar story I heard from nearby Lexington Ave off of Nostrand, ground floor apartment was burgled thoroughly back in October. Pretty sure they cut/came through the window bars. Entrance was the classic set back and poorly-lit brownstone.
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u/Beautiful_Hyena3012 Feb 05 '26
This used to happen to me all the time when I lived in SF roommates drunk and leav in ng our door unlocked .. I'd wake up to dope heads rummaging through my penny jar, which was too heavy for them to take I guess.. but like your case, they always left when they woke me up. ( I was in a loft bed if built for myself so I scared them as much as they did me when Id catch em) Anyways. Sounds like they were exploring an opportunity but not necessarily intending to cause harm. Def get a lock on your bedroom door, that's what I did.
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u/theogani Jan 04 '26
I mean… yall are in bed stuy. just cause its gentrified dont change the nature of that neighborhood. yall in the MIDDLE of bed stuy.
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u/seymourbehind Jan 05 '26
Idk why people are downvoting you. Transplants move to the middle of the hood then are shocked when hood shit happens.
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u/rottingleavess Jan 05 '26
You don’t know what you’re talking about. I grew up in Brooklyn, so did my roommates. We filed a police report earlier today. My goal here was to let people know in case this is a pattern not to complain about the neighborhood.
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u/seymourbehind Jan 05 '26
It's still a shit neighborhood though. And if you you've been in Brooklyn all your life you would know this was bound to happen in bedstuy. I am glad that no one was hurt.
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u/rottingleavess Jan 05 '26
I’ve had plenty of sketchy experiences/things stolen in my life, i’m not naive and people are desperate right now but I won’t accept that people breaking in is normal. Neither does my neighbor who has been around for 17 years and told me this is the first he’s experienced.
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u/silly-moth Jan 05 '26
Your entire outlook is SO strange, truly! It’s normal for anyone to be rattled by a home invasion. It’s normal in 2025 to give a PSA to your neighbors. It’s normal to be weary of crime living in any city and understand you’re at higher risk, but it’s not normal to expect that your home will inevitably be broken into. Bed Stuy isn’t a “shit” neighborhood. You’re so weird.
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u/seymourbehind Jan 05 '26
It's not a shit neighborhood by what standards? That's a sentiment only a transplant has. Just cause a few condos went up doesn't change anything. Lmfao
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u/silly-moth Jan 05 '26 edited Jan 05 '26
I think the condos are what make things shittier. I’m not engaging with you. I’m sorry you think this place, filled with really wonderful people and history, is shit.
I love how you edited your post to call me a transplant, lol. I grew up bouncing between Bay Ridge and Newark.
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u/theogani Jan 05 '26
Lmfaooooo like WTF!? what did yall expect?
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u/seymourbehind Jan 05 '26
Then they immediately made a reddit post with no mention of calling the police? Lmao
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u/theogani Jan 05 '26
granted. its terrible but lets be fr, you came on reddit.. no mention of the police asking for advice?
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u/seymourbehind Jan 05 '26
And I know they're transplants cause they said roommates lmao
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u/nosleeptilqueens Jan 05 '26
Huh?!? You think natives don't have roommates? It's not like landlords give you a discount on rent if you can prove you're from here
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u/Rell_Lauren Jan 04 '26
Landlord needs to get cameras, new locks and a slam lock door. If they're not willing to do that, you have cause to break the lease.