ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A northeast Albuquerque neighborhood has growing concern about a man wandering the streets, who keeps coming back, and what started with some bizarre behavior has only gotten worse.
Story continues below
New Mexico: Trial for father charged under Bennie’s Law starts Monday
Events: What’s happening around New Mexico June 14-20
News: Man admits to killing three people in New Mexico murder case
One neighbor caught the man on his home security cameras for most of the incidents showing the same guy coming back time and time again. Most recently, stealing mail. “It makes you a little bit more paranoid,” said concerned neighbor Randy Martin.
For over a month now, this neighborhood off Wyoming and Indian School in the Heights has been dealing with a nuisance. “It was a Saturday evening and he was just right out right behind where I am now, just dancing it looked like just kinda, it was just kinda awkward looking at first,” said Martin.
It started with dancing on the curb outside Martin’s home in a pile of trash. “I’m not sure if it was his own trash or he was collecting trash from somewhere, it was clear that he had taken a garage sale sign and had a bunch of stuff in it and was just throwing it all over the street in front of the house,” said Martin.
From there the situation has escalated. “He came up and pounded on our door a few times throughout the night at three in the morning saying something like, ‘Don’t worry I’m going to get the snake’ or ‘I’m gonna come in there and get the snake and kill the snake,'” said Martin.
At one point in the video, the man can be heard saying to the camera, “There’s going to be a big ole war out here”, before walking away and attempting to break into Martin’s car then a neighbor’s car before moving to yet another home on the block. “That’s when we observed him going across the street to another house and stealing that person’s mail right in front of us and then running down the street,” said Martin.
In the midst of it all, Martin’s camera caught the unknown man with what they believe to be a drug pipe in his hand. “We’re concerned not only for our safety but for his safety as well being on drugs, dancing in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night is clearly not safe for us or for him,” said Martin.
Martin says he’s not the only one with concerns. “A neighbor up the street that had called the police earlier that morning, apparently this individual had chased some people that were out walking their dog that morning down the street and they felt threatened so they took refuge inside of the neighbor’s garage,” said Martin.
While things have been quiet recently, Martin is concerned this is just a sign of what’s to come. “We have three gas stations now right around the corner from the property and I think we’re attracting a lot of unhoused individuals as a result,” said Martin.
Martin says he also has called the police but hasn’t had a chance to talk to an officer about the situation.
KRQE News 13 reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department to see if they’re looking into it but they have not responded.
