US Couple On Vacation Gets Security Alert, Finds Stranger Living Inside Their Home: "Full Panic Mode"

A Queens couple returning from vacation were left shaken after discovering a stranger inside their Long Island City apartment, allegedly after a building doorman mistakenly gave the woman a key. According to the New York Post, Bill and Yelim Kim were away on July 24 when their home security system sent them an alert that someone was inside their apartment at the luxury Halo LIC building on Purves Street. When they checked the live camera feed, they saw an unfamiliar woman walking around their home, helping herself to a drink and relaxing on their couch.

The couple were on the final night of their trip to Yellowstone National Park when they received the alert. The security footage showed the woman lounging on the couch, looking at her phone and appearing completely comfortable in the apartment.

Things became even more alarming when she noticed the security camera. She then removed it from the bookshelf, cutting off the couple's view. "We start freaking out. We're in full panic mode," Kim said. 

Bill said the couple were left wondering what might have happened if they had not received the alert. They spent several hours contacting police and friends while still away on vacation. 

"I was in disbelief. I just could not believe what I was seeing. We can't help or wonder, what would she have done if we didn't catch her on camera? If we didn't have a security camera set up, would she have just stayed? This was almost 11 p.m. at night. Would she have slept in our bed?" Bill told FOX 5.

Two of the couple's friends went to the apartment before police arrived. One of them knocked on the door and confronted the woman. She left the apartment but returned minutes later, using a set of keys to get back inside. The couple's friend reportedly saw her holding several keys before she used one to unlock the door.

Police eventually arrived, and the woman was taken away in an ambulance.

Later, building management told residents the woman claimed to be the Kims' dog walker and had mistakenly been given a key to their apartment at the front desk. The employe involved was fired and the building planned to retrain staff on identity verification procedures, according to an email sent to residents.

The doorman was also removed from the property, while management said additional security measures would be introduced.

The incident became even more unsettling when the same woman returned to the building two days later. She reportedly claimed she was there to see someone and tried to enter, but security stopped her. "We were scared. I had like a full stomach ache when I saw her. I just, I could not believe that she was back here," the couple added. 

The couple said she appeared distressed and was wearing the same dress and heels as during the first incident. She was also wearing a hospital bracelet. The woman has not been publicly identified or charged, and the NYPD is investigating the incident as a burglary.

The couple said nothing was stolen from their apartment, but the experience has left them deeply unsettled. Bill said returning home no longer feels the same and that the apartment does not feel like a safe space anymore. They are now "frantically" looking for another apartment. "We can't be here anymore," Bill added.