40-Year-Old Man Discovered Living in Crawl Space of Oregon Home After Homeowner Heard ‘Strange Noises’

A 40-year-old man in Oregon has been arrested after authorities discovered he had been secretly living in a homeowner’s crawl space “for an extended period of time.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, just before 11 p.m., the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a suspicious situation at a condominium complex on SE Old Town Court in unincorporated Clackamas County, near Happy Valley, according to a news release posted on Facebook.

A witness told deputies they saw a man, who didn’t live in the complex, park his car and walk toward the back of a building. The witness also noticed that the crawl space door was open with light shining from inside, and then saw it close. When deputies arrived, they found the crawl space door damaged and locked.

The sheriff’s office said an extension cord was running through a vent. Deputies contacted the homeowner, who said no one was supposed to be in the crawl space and that they had noticed strange noises coming from the area before. The homeowner gave deputies keys to open the crawl space, but they didn’t work.

Officers forced the door open and found 40-year-old Beniamin Bucur inside.

According to the sheriff’s office, Bucur had set up the crawl space to live in. Deputies found a bed, lights, chargers, TVs, and other electronics powered through the house. They believe he had been living there for a long time. A pipe with white residue that tested positive for methamphetamine was also discovered.

Bucur was taken to the Clackamas County Jail and charged with first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of methamphetamine, officials said.

He appeared in court on Thursday, Sept. 4, where a judge set his bail at $75,000.