Targeted Harassment - neighbor going out of way to set my alarm off daily

[mlkmade]

(moderator note)

This thread was locked because it turned into suggestions of retaliatory violence actions (which were deleted). Because of this, I am putting it on a time out. It may or may not be re opened later.

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This is a very frustrating post to write but I'm at my wits end.

I have to park on the street and sometimes I park near a house with a teenager and he goes out of his way on a daily basis to touch my car until the alarm goes off.
I have dozens and dozens of clips over the last year of this kid doing it. I finally confronted the father and he basically laughed in my face asked for footage. When I showed him the footage he then started making every excuse in the world why it's MY FAULT his son is HARASSING me car. This last time his son put his hands to my windows and was looking inside the backseat and trunk as if he was looking to steal something.

This is not funny.

My first Tesla burned to the ground from a random arsonist setting my car on fire in the same area, you may remember me posting about it here, so I'm hyper sensitive to this.
I just spot with the police, non-emergency, and they said there is nothing that can be done after the fact, only while he's doing it. Apparently dozens of clips of him doing isn't enough.

Any help/ideas/insight as to what I can legally do would be greatly appreciated. The father is a bigger POS than the son and Im afraid the next time I see either of them I won't be able to restrain my words.

 

[kishkaru]

I have to park on the street

Move.

Get a house, park on the driveway/garage. Then it becomes private property.

Not much you can do on public roadways. Police won't care about petty break-ins (much less harassment) unless they catch the burglar on the spot.
I once made a police report and tried to give them Sentry footage. They laughed me off the police station. My event even happened right behind the police station . They don't care unless they catch them in the act, and even then, it's likely just a slap on the hands.

 

[buckets0fun]

Move.

File police report(s) every time. Petition the courts for a TRO/RO against this family. It will ruin their lives.

 

[Stirthepot]

spray the car with pepper spray one night. when he touches it and then rubs his eyes he will be in for a nice surprise.

 

[RoBoRaT]

This is a very frustrating post to write but I'm at my wits end.

I have to park on the street and sometimes I park near a house with a teenager and he goes out of his way on a daily basis to touch my car until the alarm goes off.
I have dozens and dozens of clips over the last year of this kid doing it. I finally confronted the father and he basically laughed in my face asked for footage. When I showed him the footage he then started making every excuse in the world why it's MY FAULT his son is HARASSING me car. This last time his son put his hands to my windows and was looking inside the backseat and trunk as if he was looking to steal something.

This is not funny.

My first Tesla burned to the ground from a random arsonist setting my car on fire in the same area, you may remember me posting about it here, so I'm hyper sensitive to this.
I just spot with the police, non-emergency, and they said there is nothing that can be done after the fact, only while he's doing it. Apparently dozens of clips of him doing isn't enough.

Any help/ideas/insight as to what I can legally do would be greatly appreciated. The father is a bigger POS than the son and Im afraid the next time I see either of them I won't be able to restrain my words.

Just curious - what excuse does the father come up with, that it is your fault his son's setting off your car alarm?

Maybe, don't park near their house but near your dog . I don't have much to offer....

 

[jjrandorin]

I am going to echo the "move" suggestion. I mean, there is some reason you havent already, when your previous car was burned via arson, but whatever that reason is, you should re think it.

Sometimes, we need to pay attention to the signs we are given, and you are now being given at least 2 separate signs that its time for you to leave that area. Find another location / complex to rent, etc.

 

[glide]

This is a very frustrating post to write but I'm at my wits end.

I have to park on the street and sometimes I park near a house with a teenager and he goes out of his way on a daily basis to touch my car until the alarm goes off.
I have dozens and dozens of clips over the last year of this kid doing it. I finally confronted the father and he basically laughed in my face asked for footage. When I showed him the footage he then started making every excuse in the world why it's MY FAULT his son is HARASSING me car. This last time his son put his hands to my windows and was looking inside the backseat and trunk as if he was looking to steal something.

This is not funny.

My first Tesla burned to the ground from a random arsonist setting my car on fire in the same area, you may remember me posting about it here, so I'm hyper sensitive to this.
I just spot with the police, non-emergency, and they said there is nothing that can be done after the fact, only while he's doing it. Apparently dozens of clips of him doing isn't enough.

Any help/ideas/insight as to what I can legally do would be greatly appreciated. The father is a bigger POS than the son and Im afraid the next time I see either of them I won't be able to restrain my words.

Nothing. You spoke with the police, they gave you the answer.

Now if you want to make it stop on your own, you have plenty of options but you need to decide what this squabble is worth to you.

 

[Big Earl]

Consider turning off the car alarm and ignoring them. Perhaps they’ll get bored and leave you alone.

Or move.

 

[Goobers]

Consider turning off the car alarm and ignoring them. Perhaps they’ll get bored and leave you alone.

Or move.

I thought about suggesting turning off the alarm, but the issue there is on the off chance someone happens to want to steal the car, now there’s no alarm going off when you need it.

In the worst case scenario, the kid could be part of a group of thieves… testing the car every time and when the alarm doesn’t go off, might call a “buddy” to “borrow the car.”

But yeah, it’s not really feasible at times, but moving might be best.

 

[mlkmade]

I can't believe how many people are saying to move, like its that easy to do with a snap of the finger? Like not even from a financial standpoint, inventory standpoint, market standpoint, or a time standpoint. Like, every time something randomly bad happens to me or my car in public, the solution is to pack up all my things and move?
Ya, that's pretty unrealistic and not a healthy way to live ones life.
The things that have happened to me have nothing to do with the quality of the neighborhood and are completely freak random occurrences.
The arsonist wandered through my neighborhood and set several things on fire, including the public library. Something like that has never happened before or after that event, but that's a sign I need to move? Give me a break.

The alarm is set to silent, its set to only go off on tilt/intrusion.

Just curious - what excuse does the father come up with, that it is your fault his son's setting off your car alarm?

Maybe, don't park near their house but near your dog . I don't have much to offer....

He said its my fault for owning the car and teenagers will be teenagers.

Park near my dog? huh? I dont have a dog and if I did how does that help ?

 

[Goobers]

The arson isn't a sign... the neighbor is.

He clearly doesn't give a *sugar* about his son's behavior... in fact, he's being an asshole too. *Oh, the site censors words, eh?*

You don't mention reaching out to your other neighbors for assistance... so, no help there.

And the cops have clearly told you what they can/cannot do.

Pissed off at one neighbor, alienated from the rest of the neighbors and can't get help from local authorities. I think living there in such an environment is a WORSE way to live one's life.

There fore, the best option is to get the hell away from there. Whether you CAN/will is a different story.

 

[mylapore]

Park the car somewhere else(maybe in a nearby garage) for your own peace of mind?

 

[jjrandorin]

What advise were you looking for?

I can't believe how many people are saying to move, like its that easy to do with a snap of the finger? Like not even from a financial standpoint, inventory standpoint, market standpoint, or a time standpoint. Like, every time something randomly bad happens to me or my car in public, the solution is to pack up all my things and move?
Ya, that's pretty unrealistic and not a healthy way to live ones life.
The things that have happened to me have nothing to do with the quality of the neighborhood and are completely freak random occurrences.
The arsonist wandered through my neighborhood and set several things on fire, including the public library. Something like that has never happened before or after that event, but that's a sign I need to move? Give me a break.

The alarm is set to silent, its set to only go off on tilt/intrusion.



He said its my fault for owning the car and teenagers will be teenagers.

Park near my dog? huh? I dont have a dog and if I did how does that help ?

Well then,

Since that doesnt fit your desired suggestion, good luck with sorting it out.

 

[ucmndd]

The alarm is set to silent, its set to only go off on tilt/intrusion.

So turn it off. Who gives two squirts. It’s a car, parked on a street. If something happens, file an insurance claim.

You’re making a lot of trouble for yourself over an inanimate thing. This is a “you” problem.

 

[Watts_Up]

I wou;ld park away, maybe like one block in another street.
Park in front of your house only if you need to drop something, like grocery items.
It cannot hurt to make a little walk, you will quickly get used to.

In fact, I never park just in front of my work.
I always like to have a little walk after a commute, just to relax and think about what I plan doing during the day.
Idem in the evening, after a busy day, I like to take a quick walk to think about what I have been doing during the day before driving back.

Use the PIN mode if you are afraid that your car could be stollen. Also you can access Sentry remotely using your phone.

 

[DeejUK]

I sympathise entirely with this situation. Most reasonable people don't like conflict, nor knowing that there are unfriendly people just around the corner from home.

The most constructive suggestion I've seen here is to keep nagging the police. Make a nuisance of yourself to them, so that they do something just to make you go away. I don't know if there are other routes with Neighbourhood Watch or the local council for reporting antisocial behaviour.

So that's the sensible advice out of the way.

You may do well to consider how much of a problem this is to you, and how far you're willing to go to make it disappear. These sorts of disputes boil down to an escalation game of "who is willing to be most unreasonable." Kid keeps setting your alarm off. You shout at him. He keys your car. You shout at his dad. His dad tells you to foxtrot oscar. You punch his dad. His dad goes and gets the baseball bat from the shed... How far are you willing to go? Will they back down before you do? Do you want to play a game of chicken? Because that's what all confrontations boil down to, until you get into life-or-death territory.

There is a gap between what the police are willing to get involved in and reasonable conduct, and that's what I'd refer to as 'natural means'. However, you're almost certainly going to get in trouble with the law for reverting to anything of that nature, and you run the risk of the other side escalating beyond what you're willing to do. I've taught martial arts and self-defence, and when doing so one has a responsibility to teach people about reasonable force, the consequences of actions, and not thinking you're the police just because you know how to handle yourself. The worst thing that can happen is pretty severe, and in the unlikely event it were to happen, it wouldn't be worth the risk.

When I was a kid, we lived on a rough council estate. One summer a football came flying into the back garden, hitting the living room window with full force. My mum made the questionable decision to go out and shout at the kids. Thus, for the rest of summer, the local teenagers would deliberately kick the ball at our living room window in order to get a rise out of my mum. This went on for weeks, causing much stress and upset. I can't quite remember why, but eventually a police officer ended up out the back of our house, talking to the lead teenager for some other reason. My mum went out to join in the conversation, and tell the officer about the football-kicking. An argument ensued, and this 17-year-old lad eventually shouted at my 5'2" late-40s mother "go on then, hit me!" To which she did. In the face. Making him cry. In front of all of his mates. And a police officer.

No-one kicked footballs at our window after that. Luckily the police officer was very lenient, and used the boy's invitation as an excuse to not arrest her.

Looking at this through a more stoic lens, you get to decide how you react to this. Your car alarm isn't going to prevent the car getting set on fire again, and it won't help if it does. Your sensitivity to the issue is understandable. Is it really that bad? If you ignore him, will he get bored? Is the alarm actually helping you in any way?

 

[240vPlug]

I understand how horrible it must feel to experience this. I'm sorry your going through it.

First, they are getting a reaction out of you. They are probably enjoying triggering you so stop giving them the satisfaction. Monitor the situation and collect evidence. Write down the dates and times you talked to the neighbors and what was said.

Most important is to stay calm and collected. You could call the police once per week and tell them you feel like it's harassment. Unfortunately you may not be able to do anything unless they damage the car.

The other solutions are make it harder for the son to get to the vehicle e.g. park as far away from their house as possible. The more complicated solution is to move. It sucks but it sounds like you don't have good neighbors.

Most important do not go to your neighbors house and lose control of your temper. They will likely call the police on you and say your the problem. Wish you the best of luck and again sorry your in this situation.

 

[bugek]

This is world we live in unfortunately (no repercussions for bad behavior). However, you overestimate the effectiveness of a car alarm.
The thief doesn't care, they will not be punished if caught. You probably live in a area where guns are illegal so the thief is carrying either a knife or a gun, they are not afraid to be confronted.

set PIN to drive, disable the alarm and move on or move out

 

[sen7inel]

Short term in your situation I'd park somewhere else, ignore them and move on with life. Not worth the time or frustration. I'm certain you have your reasons you're still in the area, but the long term fix is moving somewhere else.

 

[bobbyjae]

Agree with parking a block away until it's time to move. A little walk is good for you.