Man Discovers Shocking Reason Food Was Going Missing From His Apartment

What started as a simple mystery over missing food turned into a real-life horror story for actor Joe Cummings—and it's one that continues to shock people years later.

Back in 2009, Cummings was living in a New York City apartment with his girlfriend when he noticed something strange: food was disappearing from the fridge. Thinking his girlfriend might be sneaking snacks, he asked her about it. She denied having anything to do with it.

Still puzzled, Cummings decided to take matters into his own hands. He set up a hidden camera in the kitchen, hoping to catch whoever was helping themselves to his groceries.

But what the footage revealed was far beyond anything he could have imagined.

In the video, a woman is seen climbing out of a small storage loft in the dead of night. Carefully and quietly, she lowers herself onto a table and then down to the floor using a stool. She proceeds to wander through the kitchen, urinating in the sink, drinking directly from a carton in the fridge, and taking food from the pantry.

At one point, Cummings enters the room, unaware of her presence. The woman quickly hides, waiting silently until the coast is clear.

According to Cummings, the woman had been secretly living in his apartment without his knowledge, likely for several weeks. When police arrived at the scene, they concluded she had likely been hiding in the crawlspace above his kitchen for some time.

“The police officers thought it looked as though she had been there for at least a couple weeks,” Cummings said.

More than 15 years later, Cummings shared previously unreleased footage that shows him confronting the woman after discovering her. In the clip, he shouts up into the storage space where she had been hiding:

“I called the cops. I know you’re up there. Now, get out. OK. You shouldn’t be here. The door’s unlocked – this is your chance to get out. The cops are coming.”

Understanding the Psychology

The curiosity that led Cummings to investigate the missing food relates to the human need for cognitive closure—a desire for definite answers to questions, as studied by Kruglanski and Webster (1996). When we face ambiguity or uncertainty, we tend to seek explanations and clear understanding. (Kruglanski & Webster, 1996)

Watch the video:

Update:

When she doesn’t emerge, he warns her, “I’m coming up,” and climbs up with the camera still rolling. As he peers into the cupboard, the woman suddenly lunges at him, causing him to accidentally hit the stop button on the camera.

Cummings later described what happened next:

“The woman appeared to have retreated back into the space, luckily. But I didn’t wait around to find out. I left the apartment immediately and returned with the police officers.”

Surprisingly, Cummings revealed that he chose not to press charges.

“I felt bad for her,” he admitted, explaining that after the initial shock wore off, he realized she was likely homeless and desperate.

The bizarre and unsettling story has since gone viral, resurfacing as one of the most haunting examples of real-life home invasions. It’s a reminder that sometimes the truth is far stranger—and scarier—than fiction.

When Cummings' girlfriend denied involvement, it likely intensified his uncertainty. This is related to the psychological principle of cognitive dissonance, where conflicting beliefs cause discomfort, driving us to resolve the inconsistency. Leon Festinger (1957), who pioneered the theory, posited that we seek harmony in our beliefs and perceptions. (Simply Psychology, n.d.)

What Research Shows

The sense of shock and horror that people experience when hearing this story could be attributed to the violation of personal space and privacy, a concept deeply rooted in our psyche. Research by Harold Proshansky, Abbe K. Fabian, and Robert Kaminoff (1983) found that our 'environmental self'—our personal space and possessions—contribute to our self-identity. (Proshansky, Fabian & Kaminoff, 1983)

Analysis & Alternative Approaches

In conclusion, this intriguing real-life story touches on several core psychological principles. The need for cognitive closure, cognitive dissonance, and the importance of personal space all contribute to our understanding of human behavior. Incorporating these concepts helps us better comprehend and predict reactions in similar situations. (Kruglanski & Webster, 1996, Simply Psychology, n.d., Proshansky, Fabian & Kaminoff, 1983)