A reader wrote to tell us about a strange encounter last week, and wants to know if anyone else has seen this person around the neighborhood:
Has anyone else encountered a youngish man-early 20’s-military style hair cut, bright yellow jacket? As I left my house Monday morning 5:50AM he was on Latona between 43rd and 44th examining the cracks in the sidewalk carefully with a small flashlight. He was acting paranoid and most likely tripping. As I got in my car he started unbuckling his belt… (To urinate, to suggest sexual violence-hard to say.). I haven’t seen him since. He was very clean cut and not disheveled at all.
We also received this anonymous tip:
I happened to be driving westbound in front of Hamilton M.S. yesterday (3/23) at around 11:15AM when there were a significant number of police vehicles parked (two ON the parking strip). Then on toward Stone Way there were more police cars and motorcycles (some with lights flashing) between 42nd and Bridge Way. I have found no information as to reason… anyone know what was going on?
Oddly enough, not only do I live in close proximity, but I was also walking the dogs around that time and didn’t notice anything unusual. I checked the handy-dandy SPD Blotter and the Seattle 911 log and also couldn’t find anything reported. If anyone has any other information to share, let us know in the comments section.
Unrelated, but I just saw the biggest cat I’ve ever seen outside the zoo walking past my backyard fence! It appeared to be at least 18″ or more tall at the shoulder, ink black all over with a head that appeared to be disproportionately small for it’s body. Never seen him around before, so if anybody lost a great big cat, he was around 44th NE between Latona and Thackeray around 2:45 pm today.
I did see animal control on 44th at 5th Ave less than an hour ago, so maybe he’s already been reported… All I get is a recording down there.
The military cut/bright yellow jacket might be a gentleman I see in the mornings on his way to work by bus. I think he might have some developmental disabilities, but urinating in public does NOT sound like him at all. So maybe different guy…
@1: There’s a cross-eyed Himalayan cat that comes in my house sometimes through the cat door in the basement. He never comes in when I’m awake, but I’ve caught him on camera a few times. I think he’s eating my cats’ food.
If anyone out there is missing their Himalayan late at night and he is mysteriously gaining weight, he might be invading my tangletown home.
On Wed, 3/21, a rear window was smashed late at night on an SUV parked on Latona Ave. north of 54th. Nothing was removed from the vehicle.
YES! I saw a man you describe rummaging through the trash containers at the Watermarke Apartments on Stone Way N about 7:50 a.m. so I asked him what he was doing. He said he looks for “valuable items” to sell to his buyer in Fremont. He was clean-cut and carrying an expensive stuffed back pack. What surprised me most was his neat appearance and full back pack. Very creepy…….
Since late January I have encountered 3 different men rummaging the dumpster by our apartment building. One was inside- its a large dumpster. The hatch is left up at night sometimes so I know this is a ‘picking’ spot, but its a little scary.
One gentleman I encountered when I innocently went out to empty recycling left, crossed the street, went through garbage there and then proceeded to empty all his goodies on the sidewalk and leave much of it. Grey dirty sweatshirt, faded loose jeans.
Sorry, but I have to lol at your “strange happenings in the hood”. Don’t be scared of dumpster divers, fat cats, or public urination. We do live in a big city and even our suburbanesque neighborhood isn’t immune from these types of things. Just funny to see people talking about these, what I deem as mundane, things online.
Andrew – I totally agree! Do you ever read the police blotter in a small town paper? That’s what this reminds me of!
I agree that feeling scared about “weird” people is silly, but I reserve the right to gossip about neighborhood cats.
Max – gossipping is always allowed!