Cape Coral woman finds man climbing out of her home’s attic

A Cape Coral woman caught a man climbing out of the attic of her home after officers had been next-door searching for someone wanted on a warrant.

Police said they were called to a duplex Wednesday afternoon in reference to a burglary. They had been at the duplex just hours before, trying to find a wanted person. The police report states the person they were looking for had been living at the residence they visited, but someone who answered the door said he hadn’t been seen in a month.

After police left, Janece Galeano, who lives next-door to the residence officers visited, heard strange noises and went to investigate. That’s when she found a man dangling out of the attic hatch and into the garage.

“I’ve been through a lot of things, but I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life,” Galeano said.

Galeano says she saw at least one person in the attic. She woke up from a nap and found a man there.

“I stared at him for a good 10 seconds before I realized what was going on, and once I finally registered what was going on, that’s when I asked him what …. are you doing?”

The man apologized and told her he had broken through the other side. He then climbed back up and disappeared.

“That’s when he told me he was sorry for breaking in from the other side and that it was his bad, and he just closed it and go on about his day,” Galeano said.

That did not diminish the physical and emotional damage the man left behind.

“The last thing I expected was see someone’s legs hanging from my attic door on my ceiling,” Galeano said.

Galeano went to confront her next-door neighbor and while she was there, the man she believed she saw in her attic came out of the house. She asked if he had been in the attic and he denied it before leaving.

Galeano told police a number of people come and go from the residence next door, including the man she found in the garage.

An officer climbed into the attic and found damage left behind that totals about $1,200. The person is believed to have entered the attic of the neighboring property and then busted through the dividing wall to get into the neighboring attic.

Galeano and her best friend are working to make their side much safer so no one comes crashing down again.

“Was it worth it?” Galeano said. “Because you got a whole bunch of other stuff tagged onto whatever you had prior.”

Police said they believe the person who was caught in the attic is possibly the person they were looking for earlier in the day.

There is now a 14-day eviction notice on the front door of the neighboring home of Galeano’s duplex.

According to CCPD, the unknown man has not been located.

“I got really lucky that day because it could’ve been anyone at any time and anything,” Galeano said. “So I’m just thankful that I’m OK … and everyone is safe at this point.”