Evening excitment...fire in building community room

[Kaila]

Well..they have already caught the guy. The apartment manager had a good view of him on the tapes in the foyer and lobby. He apparently waited in the foyer, and followed someone in....we have a key card to open the door to the main lobby.
He is going to be arrained today

BATAVIA/Man arrested for arson in Washington Towers chair fire – Video News Service

Gosh, Marie. He's apparently suspected of having been doing a series of crimes, in your area, and included is another that also involved starting a fire, inside someone else's car?! Wow.

Glad they stopped him from doing any more.
I think I understand this turned out to not be any resident, is that correct?

 

[Kaila]

Not sure if there will be repercussions for the tenant he followed in. I think best management can do is to remind us to be more aware of who is in foyer.

Okay, now I read the answer to my question in previous post.
My building has the same sort of door, which I would be surprised if one can manually force it closed faster, but even if so, many of us are not capable of doing that.
We are supposed to not let anyone else in, but it happens here too.

Yes, any resident, if it was one, would be evicted immediately for sure, but I have no idea if a tenant, behind whom the criminal got in behind, would be blamed or not.
They would see and ID that neighbor on the cameras too, I assume.

 

[Jace]

That is so scary.
Maybe management has to have a meeting for a review of safety standards.
With everything that's "going on" in the world today..you can never be too careful!

 

[Marie5656]

@Kaila this whole thing has us all a bit on edge, Just great they caught him quickly. I will post updates here when I have them.

We, as tenants, have been reminded not to buzz in anyone we, personally, do not know. I mean, us long timers know "regulars" like home health aides (always in uniform, with ID). The mail carrier has a key fob to get in, while Amazon, UPS and other deliveries have to be buzzed in by the office or the tenant they are delivering to. Same with things like Pizza and other food delivery. When we tune in channel 3 on our television, we connect to the camera that monitors the foyer.
But, unfortunately stuff like this falls through cracks.
Apartment manager said she will be sending a memo to tenants to be more aware of strangers.

 

[Kaila]

@Kaila this whole thing has us all a bit on edge, Just great they caught him quickly. I will post updates here when I have them.

We, as tenants, have been reminded not to buzz in anyone we, personally, do not know. I mean, us long timers know "regulars" like home health aides (always in uniform, with ID). The mail carrier has a key fob to get in, while Amazon, UPS and other deliveries have to be buzzed in by the office or the tenant they are delivering to. Same with things like Pizza and other food delivery. When we tune in channel 3 on our television, we connect to the camera that monitors the foyer.
But, unfortunately stuff like this falls through cracks.
Apartment manager said she will be sending a memo to tenants to be more aware of strangers.

That would surely put everyone on edge, Marie!
It would unnerve me as well, if that happened in our building!

Someone got into yours and took all of those actions, even though you actually do have even more security than many of our extremely similar HUD properties.
Some of ours do have an office with a staff person during at least some regular hours, but ours does not.

We got those security cameras, in recent years, but we cannot see them on our tv. We don't see them at all.
Our camera system would be great in a crime situation, but so far,
it has been used by management, only to ID, and scold, and charge residents unexpected money, for minor actions/mistakes, such as leaving a small item in the trash room, that is not supposed to be left there (that were allowed to be left there for many previous years)

But, back to your event this week, that is surely upsetting.
There are lots of similarities between your building and mine, with residents not supposed to let in a delivery person who is not delivering to them personally, such as a Pizza delivery, or others that are not official, but sometimes people do let those people in, knowing they are on tight pressured schedules, etc. And many of us residents cannot linger to see who might come in behind them, nor could most of us interact with anyone who might.

This upsetting incident is hopefully a wake-up call, for tenants and building managers, to be far more careful, in your building, Marie.

And, at least your building's back-up systems did work. The alarms, the sprinkler system, the cameras , etc.....
And, Very thankfully, he was apprehended!

 

[feywon]

Well..they have already caught the guy. The apartment manager had a good view of him on the tapes in the foyer and lobby. He apparently waited in the foyer, and followed someone in....we have a key card to open the door to the main lobby.
He is going to be arrained today

BATAVIA/Man arrested for arson in Washington Towers chair fire – Video News Service

Wait a minute some random person came in and smoked in your building??? At first i thought it was resident.
Lots to be grateful for---that it didn't spread, that everyone ok and that they've caught the guy.

 

[Kaila]

Wait a minute some random person came in and smoked in your building??? At first i thought it was resident.
Lots to be grateful for---that it didn't spread, that everyone ok and that they've caught the guy.

Not even sure, after all, if it was even a smoker. Turns out this person in her building, had done some other dangerous local vandalisms, at least one of which had involved a fire as well. Yikes.

 

[feywon]

Not even sure, after all, if it was even a smoker. Turns out this person in her building, had done some other dangerous local vandalisms, at least one of which had involved a fire as well. Yikes.

Yeah i considered the possibility he'd hoped to get people to vacate their units hastily leaving doors ajar, unlocked so he could help himself to easily portable valuables.


Lit cigarettes/cigars can't really create actual flames that easily, tho just setting off smoke alarm system might accomplished his original goal--then...he couldn't for some reason or changed mind? Or maybe just feeds off scaring people?

 

[Kaila]

Yeah i considered the possibility he'd hoped to get people to vacate their units hastily leaving doors ajar, unlocked so he could help himself to easily portable valuables.


Lit cigarettes/cigars can't really create actual flames that easily, tho just setting off smoke alarm system might accomplished his original goal--then...he couldn't for some reason or changed mind? Or maybe just feeds off scaring people?

Possible points as well!
I had, at first, wondered if it was someone who was cold, (possibly homeless) just looking for a warm indoor place to spend time, and who then might have caused it by mistake.
But as you said, it sounds deliberate, for whatever reason.
And now that we learn that he'd likely been doing other crimes, must be some more particular problem involved.

 

[Marie5656]

Wait a minute some random person came in and smoked in your building??? At first i thought it was resident.
Lots to be grateful for---that it didn't spread, that everyone ok and that they've caught the guy.

Yes. The story we got from apartment manager is he was hanging in the foyer, and followed a resident in when they used their key fob to get into the lobby. Scary shit

 

[Marie5656]

I just want to disclose something. I have lived here for over a year, and this is the first time I have not felt safe here. I can mentally understand that this was a random occurance and may never happen again. But the fact that it DID happen is rather scary.
I think of the times I have left my apartment to go down to the trash room, or to check my mail, and have not locked my apartment door...you know, not leaving the building, will be right back and all. THAT will never happen again.

 

[feywon]

I just want to disclose something. I have lived here for over a year, and this is the first time I have not felt safe here. I can mentally understand that this was a random occurance and may never happen again. But the fact that it DID happen is rather scary.
I think of the times I have left my apartment to go down to the trash room, or to check my mail, and have not locked my apartment door...you know, not leaving the building, will be right back and all. THAT will never happen again.

I think that is wise, tho kind of sad that you have.to be that vigilant.

 

[Kaila]

the fact that it DID happen is rather scary.

will be right back and all. THAT will never happen again.

Yes, Marie. This incident at your building, which is very much like my building,
reminded me, too, that 20 years ago, we all left our doors unlocked, here, and many of us, had them open, to be welcoming to neighbors, who might be either lonely or wanting help with something. Or to give or receive a pleasant, friendly greeting or hello.
But at some point, I realized that it wasn't safe to continue that, with over 100 units of tenants, people moving in and out, and all the residents visitors, etc......

It felt sad to decide to close my door, and to lock the door pretty much all the time, but in recent years, it seems even more necessary.

I am aware that I would have changed my view on it, sometime over the past decade, even if I lived elsewhere, or in a house, too. Regrettable, to not feel as generally safe, especially in our own buildings, but seems too unwise not to take any precautions.

 

[Marie5656]

It felt sad to decide to close my door, and to lock the door pretty much all the time, but in recent years, it seems even more necessary.

I am aware that I would have changed my view on it, sometime over the past decade, even if I lived elsewhere, or in a house, too. Regrettable, to not feel as generally safe, especially in our own buildings, but seems too unwise not to take any precautions.

Yes. It is hard to remember things like that. I am sure this feeling of not feeling safe will go away. A few of us sat downstairs and were discussing that. One friend said that we cannot let something like this make us afraid. Cautious , yes. but not afraid we are all being a good support for each other

 

[Kaila]

Yes. It is hard to remember things like that. I am sure this feeling of not feeling safe will go away. A few of us sat downstairs and were discussing that. One friend said that we cannot let something like this make us afraid. Cautious , yes. but not afraid we are all being a good support for each other

That's good, Marie.