You can never be so certain about who is living next door! These residents reveal the astounding secrets they discovered about their neighbors. From wholesome to downright chilling, these secrets aren’t for the faint of heart! Content has been edited for clarity.
The Criminals Next Door
“Many years ago, my husband and I discovered our neighbors were bank robbers.
One day in the late seventies, I pulled around the corner into my cul de sac and noticed something peculiar. I hit the brakes in my car and came to a dead stop. I was stunned to find tons of black cars parked on my driveway and lawn!
I backed out of the street and went to the nearest phone booth to call my husband who was at home.
When my husband answered the phone, he explained, ‘It’s okay to come home. For the time being, the FBI is using our home as a command center until the neighbors are safely apprehended.’
I was shocked. Our neighbors appeared to be a high-powered, successful, couple. They lived in a gorgeous home, drove two Mercedes Benz vehicles, left for work daily at seven in the morning, and sent their two children to private school. I always thought the neighbors earned their money from hard work, so I was appalled when I found out they earned their money from bank robbing instead!
Shortly after I called my husband, an FBI agent met me at the phone booth I called from and drove me home. My husband met me at the front door and introduced me to the agent in charge of the operation.
The agent explained, ‘We have been chasing this couple across America for the past ten years. To be honest, I have developed a sense of respect for them since they haven’t been caught yet.’
I stood there, mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe what the agent was saying!
He continued, ‘We chose your home to commandeer because you live right next door to the couple. We don’t expect any violence to ensue. However, we do want the couple to know they are surrounded.’
The FBI agents waited for the neighbor’s arrest warrants before walking up to their home and officially arresting the couple. About two hours later, the warrants arrived and the FBI did their thing.
To this day, I still can’t believe we lived next to criminals!”
“He Was A True Role Model”
“When I was growing up my neighbor, ‘Todd,’ was my role model. My father drank too much and he was rarely home except to sleep. When I wanted to learn something, I would talk to Todd.
Todd had dropped out of school to help support his family but was very talented with his hands. He completely built the house he lived in. Everything from plumbing to electrical, Todd knew how to do. He was very strong but incredibly gentle and patient.
I knew Todd was a veteran, but he never talked about it except to say he didn’t do anything significant. When he passed away, his family searched for his records. They wanted to bury him with any medals he had been awarded. Most of us expected medals for Good Conduct, National Defense, and maybe a European Victory Medal. However, they found out this quiet and gentle man was a genuine war hero!
He had been credited with single-handedly stopping an attack by a company of Germans, effectively destroying the company through the combination of casualties he caused and prisoners he took, despite having been wounded at the start of the attack. For his actions, he had been awarded a Silver Star. There were also several awards for other actions.
I ended up spending twenty years in the military, and his rack of medals remains one of the most impressive I’ve seen. Todd was always so humble, and a true role model.”
“He Was Always Excessively On Edge”
“About ten years ago, my wife and I were living in a populous hillside development in Prescott, AZ called Yavapai Hills. The neighbors moved in next door, seemingly with only what they could pack into a car with a husband, wife, and two children.
One day, I looked outside and noticed the husband doing yard work. He had a weapon holstered on each hip, and a scoped weapon slung across his back. It was a bit excessive even for Arizona. The family never left the house, we never saw the kids playing in the yard or street, riding bikes, or doing any of the usual sorts of things kids did. I think I only saw the wife outside of the house once. When I saw the husband, he always seemed to be excessively on edge.
One day, somebody tried to break into the neighbor’s house but was deterred by their two large dogs barking. It wasn’t the sort of neighborhood where break-ins regularly occurred. And of course, being in Arizona, the always possible reality of a homeowner being armed tended to discourage break-ins anyway.
Only a day or two later, the neighbor’s car was gone and the house was empty. Well, it was probably always ‘near-empty’ anyway, since they didn’t seem to move in with much more than could be packed into their car in the first place.
Afterward, my wife and I got together with other neighbors and talked about the strange occurrences at the new neighbor’s house. We relayed stories to one another, and the other neighbors agreed. It was strange the neighbor next door always carried weapons, and always seemed as if he needed to be looking over his shoulder.
Then, realization dawned upon us. The neighbor must have been in witness protection.
Few knew how ‘mobbed up,’ Phoenix was in general, and how other cities in Arizona and New Mexico have always been favorite relocation areas for those testifying against the mob.
Seeing folks wearing a sidearm in Prescott was not unusual. There’d always be one or two at the dog park, and you’d occasionally see someone armed in the grocery store. However, the neighbor kept four or five weapons on him at all times. Even for Prescott, that was unusual.”
“It Shook Me To The Core”
“My elderly neighbor from Germany always wore long sleeves, even when it was hot outside. I never questioned why, as it was her business.
One afternoon, I was having a conversation with my neighbor in her front yard while she was trimming her roses. As she reached in deeper to cut a particular branch, it caught her sleeve and bared her arm a little.
When I looked at her arm, I noticed she had numbers tattooed on her forearm. Numbers, as in numbers from a concentration camp.
My neighbor quickly darted her eyes up to see if I had seen it, but I suddenly became interested in picking up a pretty leaf. If she didn’t want to tell me about it, I wasn’t going to force her to. However, it shook me to the core. I had no idea.
My neighbor got a lot more hugs from me afterward, though. Eventually, she told me some of her stories, and I cried right there in front of her. I was so grateful I got to know my neighbor.”