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An Echo Park resident, Michael Duarte, was shocked to find a nude intruder sleeping in his bed over Mother’s Day weekend. Duarte, an NBC4 sports writer, discovered his home had been ransacked late Saturday night. Food from his pantry and fridge was scattered, and his belongings were strewn across the kitchen.
Upon inspection, Duarte noticed a smashed glass back door, which the intruder used to break in. When Duarte checked his bedroom, he found a man sleeping nude in his bed. "To see a man not just sleeping in my bed, but completely naked sleeping in my bed … I was shocked," Duarte told NBC Los Angeles.
Duarte's friend, waiting in a nearby car, called the police. Officers arrived, dressed the man, and took him into custody. As he was being escorted away, the intruder allegedly threatened Duarte and his friend, saying, "I'm going to kill you."
The intruder caused further chaos by clogging the toilet with towels, consuming a box of ice cream sandwiches, and raiding Duarte’s stash of chewing gum. Duarte said, "He opened it up, chewed all of them, and then spit a big wad of gum about … the size of a softball." The intruder also killed a possum on the back patio using a statue.
The incident has left the Echo Park neighborhood shaken. "It definitely changes how you think about things and how safe you really are," said neighbor Lindsey Savino. Law enforcement has not released the name of the suspected intruder, and the case remains under investigation.