A group of friends staying in a vacation rental in Palm Beach, Fla. captured the moment they were harassed by a resident who accused them of “trespassing.”
In a three-part TikTok series posted on Aug. 18, creator Polina (@polina_sussss21) explained that the situation began when a woman noticed them taking photos in the building’s hallway. Polina, a model, mentioned that one of her friends had rented a unit in the building to shoot content for his clothing brand’s Instagram account.
The first video shows the woman, who claimed ownership of a property in the building, following the group and filming them while repeatedly shouting insults like “pimp” and “whore.”
Iris Grey, one of the friends involved and the person who recorded the footage shared by Polina, told PEOPLE that they remained respectful despite the harassment.
“We were shooting a fashion campaign in a Palm Beach hotel near Mar-a-Lago for my friend Alexander Roys’ new collection, with Polina modeling, when a neighbor suddenly accused us of running a pimp and whore operation,” Grey said, also sharing the incident on his Instagram.
He added, “She kept insisting we were trespassing, calling us pimps and Polina a whore. Even though she followed and harassed us, we stayed respectful and kind. Didn’t realize shooting a fashion campaign came with its own crime drama, but I think we should turn this negative energy into a positive.”
In the TikTok, Polina explained that the group eventually went downstairs to speak with the front desk because the woman’s behavior was unacceptable.
As they described the situation, the woman repeatedly interrupted, saying, “What permission do they have but to rent the apartment and live in it, not to trespass on private property with their whoring event. They were outside of my home. My homestead property. I don’t know where they’re from.”
She continued to call Polina a “whore” as the group tried to explain they were taking photos in a common area. The woman argued, “It’s common elements that I own, not that they rent. They rent their room, not my common elements.”
In the second video, the group attempted to return to their room, but the woman followed them into the elevator, pushing past one friend who tried to block her entry. She pointed her camera at them, insisting, “You’re trespassing. Trespassing on my homestead property in Florida,” to which a friend responded, “How are we trespassing? We rented an Airbnb.” (Grey later clarified to PEOPLE that it was a direct rental from the owner.)
The woman replied, “So what? That gives you a right to your unit and only your unit.”
Once in the hallway, she added, “You get back into your room and I’ll let you know your rights while you sit in Florida, whores.” After they entered their unit, she continued to stand outside filming and shouting, prompting Polina to note in the caption, “She waited outside our room for another 10 minutes.”
In the third TikTok, Polina said the rental host contacted her after she posted the videos, offering a free stay. The owner also noted that the woman has harassed others in the past and has a history of causing problems.
Many viewers flocked to the comments to call out the woman’s behavior.
“WTH?! So you rented a unit in a building with common areas, took a few pics, and she’s acting like she owns the whole property?? Can’t wait until people she knows sees this derogatory rant,” one user commented.
Another wrote, “Why is no one talking about how she followed you to YOUR unit???”
Others praised the group for how they handled the situation.
“This was handled so well,” one viewer said, followed by another: “My anger issues would’ve handled things differently than these sweet folks.”
