Imagine discovering someone has been secretly living inside your home, hidden away in an attic, crawl space, or even within your walls. This disturbing act is called “phrogging.” Phroggers aren’t just squatters; they often live undetected for days, weeks, or even longer, sometimes eating your food, moving your things, and always violating your sense of security.
It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it’s frighteningly real. The psychological impact on homeowners who experience this profound invasion of privacy can linger long after the intruder is caught. Get ready to feel unsettled as we explore ten truly creepy and sometimes violent phrogging incidents.
10. The Absolute Worst: Daniel LaPlante
In 1986 Massachusetts, 17-year-old Daniel LaPlante developed an obsession with Tina Bowen. He managed to sneak into her family’s home, hiding within a wall cavity. From his hiding spot, he terrorized the family with strange noises. At night, he’d emerge to eat their food and even change TV channels. When he finally revealed himself, he held the family hostage. Fortunately, they escaped, and LaPlante fled. He returned days later and was arrested.
The horror didn’t end there. While released on bail just two months later, LaPlante committed truly heinous crimes. He broke into another home, tragically raping and killing a pregnant mother and murdering her two small children. After a statewide manhunt, LaPlante was caught and convicted. He is currently serving three life sentences, marking one of the most chilling outcomes linked to phrogging.
9. Honolulu Horror: Ezequiel Zayas
A Honolulu couple returned from a week-long trip in 2019 to a nightmare. A stranger, Ezequiel Zayas, had moved into their home while they were away. Police arrested him for burglary, but the true extent of the violation became clear afterward. The house was utterly trashed, with bodily fluids on furniture and bizarre concoctions in the kitchen. Their possessions were scattered and destroyed.
Even more disturbing were handwritten notes detailing plans to perform surgery on the couple, with knives ominously laid out on a bed. Diary entries revealed Zayas had been watching the family closely, perhaps explaining past odd occurrences like webcams activating at night and doors found unlocked. While awaiting trial, Zayas allegedly killed another inmate, adding another layer of terror to this horrifying phrogging case.
8. It Wasn’t Squirrels
In February 2020, an Oklahoma City homeowner kept hearing noises from his attic. He assumed it was squirrels causing the ruckus. Worried about potential roof damage, he decided to climb up and check it out. What he found wasn’t a furry critter, but a grown man lying on a mattress in the crawl space.
Understandably horrified, the homeowner held the intruder at gunpoint while calling the police. Investigators found that the man had used an outdoor staircase to access the attic, where he’d made himself comfortable. If not for the suspicious noises alerting the resident, this hidden houseguest could have remained undetected for much longer.
7. Basement Bedfellow: Thomas Gene Lewellen
A Seattle couple heard suspicious noises from their basement in March 2021. Believing it was a burglar, they called 911. Responding officers searched the home and found 56-year-old Thomas Gene Lewellen hiding downstairs. Lewellen, who was homeless, admitted he had broken in seeking food.
He hadn’t just popped in for a snack; he had brought his belongings and made a bed, managing to live undetected in their basement for two days. He confessed to sneaking food while the couple slept and even listening to their conversations from below. Initially charged with burglary, the charge was later reduced to criminal trespass, and he was released from jail later that month.
6. Visitor in the Night: Matthew Casto
In June 2019, a family in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, made a shocking discovery: an 18-year-old man named Matthew Casto was living in their attic. His hidden residency came to an abrupt end when one of the homeowners spotted him at the top of the stairs. Casto panicked, ran into a bedroom, and retreated into the attic via a crawl space before police arrived.
The reason for his presence was deeply disturbing. Casto had allegedly been sneaking down from the attic at night through a small door in the closet of the family’s 14-year-old daughter’s bedroom to spend time with her. Reports indicated the girl had a history with police, including running away. Casto faced charges of aggravated criminal trespass.
5. Crawl Space Crawler
A driver in Hopewell, Virginia, noticed something unsettling in November 2021: a man emerging from the crawl space beneath a house, carrying a backpack and pillow. The observant citizen called the police, suspecting a break-in. By the time officers arrived, the man was gone, but they found evidence of his stay – cigarette butts and food wrappers – in the crawl space.
For homeowner Kasey Falls, this discovery explained weeks of strange occurrences. Her 4-year-old child had been complaining about noises at night, and the family, non-smokers, kept finding cigarette butts near the house. Falls believes the unknown man might have been living under their home for two or three weeks. Police suspected he was homeless but never identified him.
4. OnlyFans Obsession: Mauricio Damian-Guerrero
Mauricio Damian-Guerrero’s obsession with an OnlyFans model escalated from online stalking to real-life phrogging. By 2022, the 20-year-old had found the model’s New Hampshire address and reportedly even managed to steal her keys. He used the access to sneak into her attic, waiting until she was asleep to creep into her bedroom and film her.
The woman’s mother first suspected something was wrong when she heard noises from the attic. Police investigated and, in February, caught Damian-Guerrero climbing onto the roof from the attic. His phone contained videos of the sleeping woman. He admitted to entering her home multiple times and planning to put a tracker on her car. He faced burglary charges but was released on bail, though the victim obtained a restraining order.
3. Duplex Drama
Janece Galeano of Cape Coral, Florida, woke from a nap in April 2021 to a startling sight: a man’s legs dangling from the attic entrance in her garage. When confronted, the man apologized, claimed he came from the adjoining duplex unit, and climbed back up. When Galeano went next door, the neighbor denied being in her attic.
Concerned, Janece called the police, who were familiar with the neighbor from previous warrant attempts. Investigating the attic, police found $1,200 worth of damage. It appeared the man had broken through the dividing wall from his side into Janece’s attic, likely to hide from law enforcement. He fled before police arrived this time, but thankfully for Janece, her problematic duplex-mate was evicted shortly after.
2. Night(s) at the Museum: Wilbert Calhoun
In an unusual case from July 2022, police in Carson City, Nevada, found a two-year-old wandering alone outside the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. When they located the toddler’s older sister, she stated the museum was her home address. Officers investigated and found she was telling the truth.
Hidden inside the museum was a living space occupied by a family of seven. The father, Wilbert Calhoun, worked as the museum’s janitor, and his wife was the manager. They and their five children had been secretly living in the building for months. A further search revealed a disturbing stash of weapons (including an AK-47, handguns, and more) and drug paraphernalia in a storage area. Calhoun was arrested, both parents were fired, and the museum temporarily closed amid the shocking discovery.
1. Celebs: They’re Just Like Us – Jennifer Lopez
Even celebrities aren’t immune to phrogging. Shortly after Jennifer Lopez purchased a $10 million Hamptons estate in May 2013, touted for its privacy, that guarantee was shattered. In August, police responded to a report of a suspicious person on the property and arrested 49-year-old John M. Dubis.
Questioning revealed Dubis had been secretly living in the estate’s pool house for an entire week. Luckily, Lopez wasn’t home at the time, but the incident was undoubtedly a shock. Dubis faced felony charges for burglary and stalking. It emerged he had a history of stalking Lopez, and she had a prior order of protection against him. Due to his apparent obsession, a judge ordered him held in jail.
These stories serve as chilling reminders that the places we feel safest can sometimes harbor hidden dangers. The violation experienced by victims of phrogging is profound, highlighting a unique and deeply disturbing type of intrusion.
What do you think about these unsettling phrogging incidents? Have you ever heard strange noises you couldn’t explain? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
