Homeless Man Chases UC Berkeley Student Into Her Apartment
Surveillance footage captured the suspect scaling the entrance of the student's off-campus building and following her inside.
A UC Berkeley student experienced a terrifying encounter when a homeless man scaled the entrance of her off-campus apartment building and pursued her inside on Tuesday night. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
Eden Winograd, a junior at UC Berkeley, was returning from walking her dog when she first noticed the man observing her outside the building. Concerned, she crossed the street to create distance, but the man followed. Winograd quickened her pace, hearing his footsteps behind her.
"I went up to the gate, I buzzed myself in, I went, and I closed it, and then I heard clanging sounds while I was walking inside, and I turned around, and he was like scaling the gate," she told NBC Bay Area.
Video footage shows the suspect using the door's push bar to climb over the entrance. Officials stated he was carrying an object that appeared to be a barbecue lighter. Winograd managed to reach her building's elevator and contacted the police.
"My heart sank, I was out of breath, my heart was pounding," she recounted.
Winograd shared the surveillance footage on her TikTok account, where it gained over a million views. Berkeley Police apprehended the man the following day, finding him lying on the sidewalk. The case has been submitted to prosecutors for review. Winograd stated that the incident has continued to affect her, expressing her fear of being chased when leaving her home.