Strangers Knocked Door at 4.30am

I’m living alone in a Sydney Eastern suburb. Someone knocked my door at 4.30am this morning. At first I thought something urgent or it may be police, so I opened the door, but still had the safety door locked while answering. A strange young Middle east guy said he & his friend were drunk and mobile out of battery. He asked for help or lend him a charger and I said no. Then he asked can your husband help, I told him to go to petrol station.

I’m now so regret to open the door and answer, and should tell him to call police at that time. My sister said they may suspect me living alone and may come back to break in my house in future. Others say they knocked to see if anyone is home to break in.

This is my second year in Australia and this is the first time encounter this situation. I’m very worried now. What should I do?

P/s:
1. The guy knocked door first and I didn’t answer, then he rang the door bell. The front porch connects to 2 bedrooms’ doors. I think he came around the porch and knocked on bedroom glass door, not the front door.
2. He was conscious and seems like not very drunk.
3. He hid from the camera’s sight (quite far from the door bell, behind the post) and wore hoodies covering his head
4. My house is far from the pubs, and down the road there are a pub and a servo open 24/7 where they can ask for help
5. My house was broke in before I moved in
6. Unfortunately my cameras’ cloud subscription expired and didn’t have any footage stored.

Comments

  • +18

    Lock the door tonight and live your life normally. It could have been genuine request. Leave a light on in a room that faces the front if it makes you feel better. Ask your sis to check on you in the morning.

    • +1

      Ask your sis to check on you in the morning.

      By morning it'd be too late. Tell her to check on you from 4-5am

      • +6

        No don't tell her to come at 4:30am. The middle eastern looking guy might ask to borrow her phone.

    • +1

      I'd also place a few kitchen chairs in the way of the door so that they trip over and make a noise… or even a trip wire.

      There's no reason you can't report it to the Police Help Line. They will put a few more patrols around the area with a marked car. I had similar at my old place - people in the area that had no reason to be there and looking out of place. The police just sent a few more cars into the area for a few weeks.

  • Did you speak to your neighbours? Do you live near a pub? They could have mistaken your home for someone else’s?. Just keep your screen door locked etc you should be alright, bit strange if they were sussing our apartments considering the amount of noise they would make + 4:30am is a very odd time considering sunrise is not far off and some people would be already up. Lots of dumb criminals around though

    • +1

      I’m living in a house at the corner and quite far from the crowded street where the pubs are. If they really want some help, I don’t think my house is the nearest place from their pub.

      • +1

        Maybe they tried other houses and none of them opened the door or could help. Ask your neighbours if they also have had people knocking. Setup more cameras

        • +5

          Exactly this. It is a common tactic to case the place. Don't be complacent

    • +24

      To be fair, this is not just a “bargain” forum. People can ask other things like relationship advices etc. There’s nothing wrong with the OP asking for help here. :)

    • +1

      Boioioioi - Looks like you where the one who knocked the door !

    • +3

      It's a pretty strange situation so I think its fair that they feel concerned. Also, its not strictly a bargain forum. Have a look around, plenty of non bargain related topics.

    • +1

      Or their friends actually know what the real world is like.

  • +41

    Pick up some old beat up tradie or builder boots (large size is best) and leave them at the front doorstep.

    • +1

      Interesting one. Haven't heard of this one.

      • +2

        This is a good idea, wellies, anything blokey. A friend also used to hang out men's jeans and underpants on the washing line.

    • +1

      I’m also thinking a label “Big dog inside” too. Just for a piece of mind.

      • +6

        Just a dog food bowl at the front door with Butch written on it :-)

  • +8

    Time for security cameras.

    Always time for security cameras.

    • I have a security camera at the front door and now I remember the guy hid where the camera can’t detect while talking to me. He wore a hoodie covering his head. Am I over worried?

      • +31

        This comment of yours is more relevant than anything else you wrote.

        Yeah, you should be worried. Drunk people don't stumble perfectly out of camera's sight and conceal themselves with hoodies.

        • +7

          Just like people with security cameras don't blindly open doors at 4:30am…

          • +3

            @randomusername2017: Hard to argue with that but I would.

            I had a discussion with a few mates. Should I respond to a trespasser at night? (Our neighbours are a few hundred metres away.)

            To not respond would encourage further action so either way, I'm going to have to confront the trespasser.

            The best thing to do is to have a flashlight blinding them whilst having a .22 to take out the pesky fox that's been coming around at night.

            • +4

              @[Deactivated]: True… 4:30am would be the ideal time for a single female to be preparing for the fox hunt on their Vaucluse estate

              • +1

                @randomusername2017: That's when the fox keeps showing up. Darn fox.

            • @[Deactivated]: But they might shoot first straight at the light.

              Why not throw some rocks away from you first to misdirect them then just use the .22 to take out the fox.

              • @ihbh:

                But they might shoot first straight at the light.

                They would but you're not meant to have the light placed on your forehead. You offset it. Even better, it should be on a tactical strobe.

                Besides, if someone is going to shoot at a light, they'd find it a lot easier to hit their target if they weren't dazed by it. That's why cops approach potentially dangerous situations with lights pointed at the suspect.

                • +1

                  @[Deactivated]: I don't think I'd want to knock on your door. You seem to know your stuff! … Jason Bourne in retirement perhaps.

                  • +1

                    @ihbh: I just watch too many cop shows.

                    I'm kinda like a Paul Blart meets that WoW dude on South Park.

      • I guess this shows that security cameras don't discourage intruders - i.e. fake ones are pointless?? Only the actual footage is valuable.
        I might have to rethink the dog vs camera security model.

        • Fake ones encourage intruders.

          It is very easy to detect a fake. Most criminals with half a brain would have googled how to tell the difference. Anyone with a camera phone can do it.

          • @[Deactivated]: What about fake dogs then?

            • @Leo Getz: That encourages questions.

              Is it like a goat in a dog costume?

  • +3

    You did the right thing, You can always contact the local police station to let them know in case there is a pattern of this happening in the neighbourhood. Most probably just a couple of lost drunks, keep an eye out and you will be ok.

    • +1

      I second that, have a friendly chat to the police, tell them about your incident, they may have statistics on crime, break-ins in your area/street. Ask for advice and then decide best course of actions.

  • -5

    young Middle asian guy

    +1 Ltroll

    • +2

      New race?

      • +2

        Asian person who isn't a poor farmer and isn't a rich party member, in the middle.

    • +8

      Wait, there are no thieves and burglars here?

      • My house had a theft while renovating, before I moved in.

        • +11

          This house must have been in America.

      • -2

        oh sorry, I didn't know you lived in a housing commission.

  • +5

    Dont answer the door to anybody you don't know ever

    • +1

      But if you don't answer the door how would you know you don't know them?

      • +12

        Most front doors aren't soundproof. Ask who it is & what do they want before opening the door, especially @ 4.30am.

    • +1
      • +1

        Great scene from "The IT Crowd". @Daabido a description of future links would probably get more clicks.

  • -8

    Come and live with me

    • You're a dill. Oh wait
      .

  • +4

    you should make a report to the cops.. also save the footage from your cameras, and there is a chance they were filmed before you opened the door.

    • -8

      Report to the cops….. that people asked for help?
      What crime did they commit mate?

      • +8

        If he/she is concerned, they should report it.

        they werent asking for help.. people asking for help dont hide from cameras…

        chances of 2 peoples phones going flat at same time?? No i dont either.

        Who the hell would ask to come into someones house to charge a phone at 4.30am ??? No they dont do them…

        Surely they would ask to use the phone or make a call for them?

        • -3

          If they were really concerned they'd have already reported it to crimestoppers/police helpline OR 000 if it was urgent. Not post it on Ozbargains for a general discussion.

          Given the "drunken" context at 4.30am, they might not have been in the best state of mind and phones going flat isn't uncommon.
          It's very hard to judge what different people might do in a tough situation and they might have thought that was the best option.

          Sure a bit suss, but without any other criminal indicators apart from asking for help at 4.30am or allegedly trying to hide from the camera, the cops aren't going to do anything.

          If there was anything else criminal or it is a common occurance, by all means report it and police may take action if there are similar reports.

          • +2

            @fatal: Its preventative, gives the cops somewhere to start if something happens - they were casing the place. OP pointed to the servo down the road.. why wouldnt they go there??

            If something happens in coming weeks, the cops have somewhere to start.. no point over writing the

            There may have been others in the area who had the same thing happen - security footage is very handy for cops in these situations. Been there done that.

            Cops wont mind you reporting things - its better than saying 'oh yea these dudes turned up 4.30am few weeks ago…. '

        • She can review the footage to see if they were sus or legit and worthy of a report or not. They could have just coincidentally been out of shot. The friend could have not brought his mobile or lost it. But what if the OP did decide to help, did they prepare a dead phone

      • -1

        It's about as criminal as pointing a fake gun at someone.

        Until one can confirm it is a fake, the threat is real.

    • yes good idea second part, see if they walked up like drunk ppl or were they scoping out the place. also check how they left after you rejected them

  • A strange young Middle east guy

    Ahh now the stereotypes balance a little better…

    In lieu of an mspaint diagram would it be possible to upload the doorcam footage??

    school go back on Monday or Tuesday?…

    • Maybe the strange part is being drunk? (Unlike us skippy bogans who are perma-drunk). That's me being a glass half full type.

  • +1

    Get a very bright sensor light.

  • +4

    Next time put a Scream mask on and open the door. Unlikely they'll come back again…let us know if this works :)

    • Reminds me of the tactic we were going to use if Mormons ever came to our door.

      I would open whilst partly turning around and saying “where the hell do you think I’m going to get a virgin from?” Turn around, look at the Mormons, then call back “wait a minute….”.

      See if they leave skid marks as they run away.

  • +2

    Fix up your cloud subscription - get a Ring Doorbell (and pay for cloud subscription). Check the footage before answering the door.

    • Assuming anyone will hang around for the 2 minutes it takes to open the Ring app.

      • +1

        It takes 5-10 seconds depending on your internet connection, I have a ring doorbell and that's how long it takes

        • I guess you won the Ring lottery. I've tried 3 different Ring doorbells. I've got very strong wifi in that location and NBN100. I can play FPS games on my wifi.
          Brick-veneer wall, but glass door with no security door. Can't tell if it's the wifi or the app, but I'm leaning towards the app being slow to wake up, on both flagship Android phone and mid-range tablets.

          • @psdillon: I have NBN100 fibre too, I think the app needed to be updated for you as I have only just bought mine recently

            • @jayboi: Thanks for prompting me to go into the app. App is up to date, but subscription silently expired without email or notification. When I try to view/extend plan it says "Something went wrong". I'd better clear my schedule for the rest of the day while I figure this one out!

  • +8

    Even drunk, I can't see myself knocking on a rando's door at 4:30 in the morning.

  • -5

    Watch out. They are targeting your house for a future break in. Machete under the bed and sleep with one eye open from now on.

    • +3

      Gripping your pillow tight.

      • +2

        Eeeeeeeeeeexit light!

    • I keep a golf club under my bed

  • +1

    If you hadn’t answered the doorbell and they already knocked on the door they would have broken in.

    For peace of mind consider deterrents - not much can stop a burglar but they’ll go for easier targets

    The boots suggestion and dog bowl suggestions above are easy and a good idea. Even better get a dog - their barking when they hear a burglar is the best deterrent.

    Reinforce points of entry

    Some security tips here plus consider monitoring https://www.bluebyadt.com/blog/9-smart-ways-to-increase-your…

    • Reinforce points of entry

      This is the catch 22 in these areas. There are lovely glass french doors and ceiling high windows letting in a lot of light and beautiful views. Putting bars on the glass kind of defeats their purpose.


      Only way I can think of to have your cake and eat it too is to choose an area beforehand that has lots of families and/or elderly people.

  • +2

    I would install another camera where he hid his face from the other camera, add more cameras plus purchase that cloud storage

  • +3

    It’s super suspicious.

    I would:
    1. Renew subscription for your cctv
    2. Adjust the angle/position of the camera if possible
    3. If your cctv doesn’t have a spotlight, get a flashlight that is triggered by motions
    4. Report to the police

    My cctv captured a young lad at 215am Saturday. He stopped in front of neighbor’s driveway for 20+ seconds, so it’s likely he was just taking a piss.

  • More cameras / ring doorbell

    Dog / personal alarm

    Call local police (not 000) and describe situation. Ask if they are getting any other reports of this, on that particular date, or any other time.

  • +4

    I don't want to be alarmist, but I do want to counter the "she'll be right mate" attitude of some….

    Someone knocked on our door, I opened to a young guy not in a hoodie, not acting shady, simply asking for a glass of water. But behind him I noticed a 2nd guy, thankfully not even trying to hid the pistol in his hand.
    Jumping to the end of that story, I decided the security of that property was inadequate, so we moved out that same night and never went back.

    Can you imagine how this or OPs story may have ended if we'd allowed them into our homes?

    • Whereabouts was this?

      • I had actually added [this wasn't in Australia, but people from that country live in Australia so geography doesn't seem relevant] but removed it as figured it wouldn't add value. Guess I was wrong.

        That happened in PNG. So maybe irrelevant, so long as horror stories are isolated to America and PNG and…

        • Ah, ok, when you mentioned pistol it sounded likely it might have been abroad.

    • "She'll be right mate" is a cancer on this country.

  • +2

    This why I always have that scene from home alone at the ready.

  • +2

    Sounds dodgy as. Glad I don’t live in Sydney. People suck

    • It can happen anywhere as long as there is a door and someone has knuckles to knock.

    • I would rather live in Newcastle than Sydney.

  • +2

    Next time fake talking to your "husband" by screaming out something like this: "John/Jet/Bruce/whatever, call the cops and see if they can lend these guys a charger". Wait a few minutes and then turn around and say: My hubby said "f off - he doesn't want his sleep interrupted".

  • OP, definitely get a ring doorbell. No need to wire it as it already has a inbuilt rechargeable battery. I have a ring doorbell and it is the best, the camera is has a really wide angle of view and you can see it from your phone before opening the door and it has night vision.

    • Which brand of the ring doorbell are you using? I will need to install one.

      • +1

        This is the one, the brand is literally called “Ring”. Highly recommend you get one and no electrician is required to install you only have to just mount it on your wall and it has built in rechargeable battery.

    • +1

      Genuine question: how does that help?
      Does she then just ignore, and hope they don't break in, or does she say something but refuse to answer door?

      • It records the outside of the door in wide angle and you can just check from your phone and speak into the doorbell that has a microphone and speaker on it instead of just opening the door. also works if you are not home and you can speak into it and deter thieves too.
        By the looks of it you clearly don't know anything about what the ring doorbells can do and I think you are just mixing it up with your run of the mill standard doorbell intercom that has no smart functionalities whatsoever.

        • I understand the device, just wasn't sure you you saw it delivering from a bad situation here.

          I'm guessing you mean that by seeing that they were shady, OP could have rung police and either remained silent or, if they proceed to break in, announce that police were on the way??

          Definitely better than opening the door.

  • +2

    You do need to take this seriously and contact the police, I do have security cameras and at the beginning of the year (my husband was in hospital), I heard a noise out side and checked the cameras and noticed my security lights had been activated, I went to check (replay from the storage) is footage from camera and there had been four people Trying the doors on my cars, after not being able to open the doors they were looking into the windows, which is when they set the lights off, they than went and stood down from my house and one of my neighbours ended up scaring them off, they weren’t deterred by the cameras or the security lights. They were arrested later the same night in stolen cars and police took my footage to help with the case against them.

  • +7

    He was staking you out. Next time call the police straight away. Never answer the door to anyone at night or even the day if you don't feel safe. Better safe than sorry.

    • +1

      Calling the police is the way to go.
      If these guys really are drunk and need help, the police will assist them.
      So either way it's win-win.

  • That is pretty freaky. I would suggest ensuring doors are locked at night and robust enough to prevent any break-in. Is your suburb in general considered as safe? Maybe report it to the police if you can and they might have some advice.

    Better to be safe than have the "she'll be right maaaate" Australian mentality.

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