NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk neighborhood is on edge following a series of attempted break-ins this month, all by the same man who appears to go door-to-door.
Neighbors in Foxhall and River Oaks began documenting the movements of the man they call the ‘Princess Anne prowler’ — a middle-aged man in a sweatshirt wearing a backpack, often riding a bicycle. It’s a common image for those who live off of East Princess Anne Road as they check their security cameras. For many, that same man appears over and over again trying to break into their homes.
“The safety feeling is gone from now on,” said one woman, who wished to remain anonymous.
10 On Your Side spoke with one woman who was visited by the stranger on May 5 and asked that we hide her identity. Her camera captures the moment the man pulls on her front door, attempts to open her windows, walks to her backyard and opens her shed.
She used her camera’s speaker function to try to scare the man off.
“I’m like yelling, and the interesting part that I noticed was that the yelling didn’t bother him, and that was concerning to me,” she said. “The audacity, like, wow it’s 8 p.m., it’s not dark yet and then you’re doing that. It’s just scary.”
Her story isn’t unique. Many have encountered the man at dusk or in the middle of the night. Dozens have posted on the Ring Neighbors app, warning each other of his next move.
“It’s like, what do we do from here,” the woman said.
For Katiana Lopez, that answer came in the form of a phone call to police. Lopez told us she and her husband found the man squatting in a house on Ashby Street this past weekend. The door to the house across from them was left wide open late at night. She told us officers made the man leave and locked up the house.
Lopez watched him exit with his backpack and a set of bed sheets before cycling away.
“They looked around the house, saw where he broke in from, didn’t steal anything, didn’t break anything,” Lopez said.
Lopez believes the man is homeless. She said he continues to frequent their neighborhood and has been spotted by her husband several times this week.
“He’s seen him riding around pretty often, every day this week,” Lopez said. “We’re just on alert.”
In the meantime, Lopez continues to check on her neighbors and keep her windows and doors locked.
Norfolk Police are continuing their investigation surrounding this matter, and are asking for anyone who was impacted or who may have any additional information to share about the Princess Anne prowler to please contact the Norfolk Police Department’s Detective Division by calling 757-664-7011 or 757-664-7026.
You can find a list of resources and homeless shelters in Hampton Roads here. If you are in need of shelter, call First Call Information & Referral at 757-594-4636 (24-hour hotline).
If you are experiencing a housing crisis, call the Housing Crisis Hotline at 757-587-4202 (8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday).
