Underneath Your Floorboards: A Real-Life Horror Story

What sounds like fiction torn from a horror screenplay unfolded as disturbing reality in Clackamas County, Oregon. Deputies responded to a neighbor's late-night call and discovered something truly unsettling – a man had transformed the crawlspace beneath a quiet condo into a fully-functioning miniature apartment, complete with string lights, a flat-screen TV, and even gaming equipment.

The culprit, 40-year-old Benjamin Bucur, had a lengthy criminal history spanning multiple states. He had not only broken into the crawlspace but had changed the locks, installed himself comfortably, and was stealing electricity from the condo above. Most disturbing of all, evidence suggested he'd been living there for an extended period, completely undetected by the homeowners just feet above him.

This phenomenon has a name: "Phrogging" – when someone secretly lives inside another person's home without their knowledge. While it sounds like urban legend material, documented cases emerge regularly worldwide. From Hawaii to Japan, people have discovered strangers living in their attics, storage spaces, and crawlspaces for months or even years. These violations of personal space raise profound questions about home security and the vulnerable areas we rarely think to check.

As a homeowner, protecting these hidden spaces requires vigilance. Regular inspections of crawlspaces, attics, and basements should be part of your maintenance routine. Watch for signs of tampering, unusual sounds, or unexplained utility usage. Smart home security systems with motion detection can provide an extra layer of protection. Most importantly, trust your instincts – that strange feeling something's amiss might be your subconscious picking up on subtle clues an intruder has entered your personal space.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey everybody, michael Church here with Crawl
Space Ninja.
Today I want to tell you astory that sounds like it was
ripped straight out of a horrormovie, but it's 100% real.
On September 3rd 2025 inClackamas County, oregon,
deputies made a discoverybeneath a quiet condo community

(00:29):
that left neighbors shocked,homeowners unsettled and the
rest of us asking how well doyou really know what's going on
underneath your home home?
It was late, around 11 pm whendeputies responded to a call.
Near Happy Valley, oregon, aneighbor had seen a man park his

(00:51):
car, walk toward the back ofthe building and slip out of
sight Moments later, thecrawlspace door to one of the
condos was shut tight.
When officers arrived, theyfound the crawlspace locked from
the inside.
The door had been damaged andrunning out of a vent was an

(01:12):
extension cord humming withstolen power from the home above
.
This wasn't just a break-in.
This was something muchstranger.
When deputies forced the dooropen, what they found was not
the usual dark, damp, forgottenspace beneath a house.
No, this crawlspace had beenturned into a miniature

(01:36):
apartment.
There were string lightshanging from the joists, a
flat-screen TV bolted to thebeam, a chair, a bed, a jug of
water, even a gaming controller.
It was either a PlayStation oran Xbox controller.
There in the crawl space itlooked lived in and even

(01:58):
comfortable, if your definitionof comfortable includes cobwebs
and concrete dust.
Definition of comfortableincludes cobwebs and concrete
dust.
Authority said it was clear theman had authority.
Said it was clear the man hadbeen down there for an extended
period of time long enough tosettle in, long enough to go

(02:20):
unnoticed.
Go unnoticed.
The man was identified as40-year-old Benjamin Booker from
Forest Grove, Oregon, with along criminal history stretching
back to California.
When deputies confronted him,booker did not resist violently

(02:44):
no dramatic shootout, no chasethrough the woods.
Instead, he was pulled from theshadows, quietly arrested and
booked on charges offirst-degree burglary.
On charges of first-degreeburglary I can't even say that
word On charges of first-degreeburglary and unlawful possession

(03:06):
of methamphetamine afterofficers found a pipe with white
residue among his belongings.
I'm surprised the homeownersdidn't smell that.
A judge set his bail at $75,000the very next day.
But Booker's story didn't startin that crawlspace.

(03:28):
Back in 2010, he was convictedin California on burglary and
auto theft charges, stealinglaptops, jewelries, even a
PlayStation, which apparently hestill has today, and served two
years in prison.
By 2018, today, and served twoyears in prison.
By 2018, he was in Oregonfacing burglary again Wow, I'm

(03:56):
shocked.
In 2019, theft and resistingarrest.
In 2022, assault and harassment.
His record paints the picture ofa man tangled in crime, unable
or unwilling to break free, andapparently a justice system
unwilling to deal with it.
Was it drugs?
Was it desperation?
Or was it something deeper?
The court records don't say.

(04:17):
Apparently, reporters have notconfirmed whether he battled
mental illness or personaldemons beyond the criminal
justice system.
But what we do know is thisBooker didn't just pass through
people's lives.
He crept into their hiddenspaces, the crawl spaces, the

(04:41):
unseen corners of homes.
There's a name for thisphenomenon.
It's called frogging.
Have you ever heard of thatFrogging?
When someone secretly livesinside another person's home
without them knowing.
It sounds rare, almost urbanlegend-like, but cases surface

(05:02):
every year.
In 2023, for instance, aHonolulu woman discovered a
stranger living in her attic.
She only realized it after foodbegan disappearing and noises
echoed through the ceiling atnight.
But other stories end evenworse, unfortunately, in 2008,

(05:24):
in Fukuoka, japan, a mandiscovered a woman who had been
secretly living in his storagespace for nearly a year.
She would slip out while he wasat work, eat his food, then
crawl back into hiding.
He only caught her afterinstalling cameras, and

(05:46):
sometimes tragically, froggingcases lead to violence.
In South Carolina in 2019, ahomeowner confronted a man
hiding in his attic.
The encounter turned into aphysical fight before police
intervened.
These incidents prove onechilling fact not even frogging

(06:08):
goes quietly.
These incidents prove onechilling fact not every frogger
goes quietly.
In the Oregon case, no childrenwere reported in the condo.
No one was hurt physically.

(06:28):
But think about the emotionalimpact for a moment.
Imagine living in your home,hearing strange noises at night,
brushing it off as the housesettling, only to learn there's
a stranger living underneathyour floorboards.

(06:48):
The crawlspace door was damaged, electricity had been siphoned
off, privacy was shattered andthat uneasy feeling that maybe
you aren't as alone as youthought lingers long after the
intruder is gone.
He uh.
From what I understand, he hadhis own key.

(07:10):
Like the, the homeownercouldn't even get in his own
crawl space.
The uh the frogger, if you willhad uh changed the locks.
As unsettling as this story is,there are lessons every
homeowner can take away.
Inspect hidden areas regularly.
Crawl spaces, attics, basements.

(07:33):
Don't let them go unchecked formonths at a time.
Look for signs of tampering Ifyou take a bite of your
hamburger and you come back fromthe bathroom and there's
another bite, there might be afrogger in your house, an
extension cord out of place, adoor that doesn't quite lock,

(07:54):
unusual noises.
Use smart home security Cameras, motion sensors, even alarms on
crawlspace doors can alert youto unauthorized entries.
Trust your instincts Ifsomething feels off like missing
items or strange sounds, don'tignore it.
Had these steps been takenearlier, booker's hideout might

(08:19):
have been discovered before itbecame his underground apartment
.
Benjamin Booker's crawlspacehideout isn't just a weird news
story.
It's a reminder.
Our homes are supposed to besafe havens, but the forgotten
spaces the crawlspaces, attics,basements can become blind spots

(08:41):
.
Blind spots that criminals,squatters and even people in
desperate situations sometimesexploit.
While Booker's arrest endedwithout bloodshed, not every
case of frogging ends sopeacefully, and the real horror
isn't just finding someone downthere.

(09:01):
It's realizing how long theywere down there Undetected,
watching your every move,listening and living in your
shadow.
So what do you think?
Was this guy just looking for aplace to stay, or was something
darker going on beneath thatcondo in Oregon?

(09:22):
Either way, don't take yourcrawl space or attic for granted
.
If you'd like a professionalinspection from Crawl Space
Ninja.
My team is here to help.
Visit CrawlSpaceNinjacom orcall us today for a free
inspection, and if you foundthis story eye-opening, make
sure you just subscribe to ourchannel.

(09:43):
We're on a mission to hit100,000 subscribers and every
one of you helps us do that.
I'm Michael Church with CrawlSpace Ninja.
And remember, don't let yourhome's hidden spaces go
unnoticed, because you neverknow who or what might be living
down there.
I hope you make it a happy andblessed day and we'll see you

(10:04):
later.