The New York Post, always eager to find a silver lining, concluded (aptly) that a Michigan woman, known as the “rooftop ninja,” and who spent the last year living inside the signage of a popular grocery store, did not have to travel far for produce.
Reports out of Midland, Mich., a city of about 42,500 located at the crook of Michigan’s ‘mitt,’ said it was only after contractors hired to work on the roof at a Family Fare Supermarket discovered an extension cord leading to the secret living space that her home was revealed at the end of April.
The Post reported that when contractors entered the space, they uncovered a ‘fully furnished’ living area. The space was reportedly no bigger than 15 feet by five feet, but she was able to make it into a “home,” complete with flooring, a desk, a computer, a printer, a coffee machine, a food pantry — and a houseplant.
Police officers were eventually called to remove the 34-year-old woman, telling her she needed to find somewhere else to live, and escorted her off the premises.
According to the newspaper, she did not work for the supermarket but did have a job. Police also believe she had access to a car. While technically trespassing, store management declined to press charges and agreed to remove the furniture from the roof and return it to the woman.
It remains unclear how the woman decided that her rooftop dwelling was desirable or how she avoided being caught for the supposed year she lived there. NBC News reported that officers offered the homeless woman several resources, including housing assistance, but she declined help.
“They were like, ‘OMG, someone is living in that sign,'” Midland Police Department public relations officer Brennon Warren told the Midland Daily News. “I’ve never seen anything like this before in my career; she made it home.”
“People would see her from time to time, and then [suddenly] she would vanish," Warren told USA Today. “No one really knew where she went, but no one ever indicated or thought that she would be up on top of the roof.”
Family Fare operates nearly 100 stores in seven Midwest states, the majority of which are located in Michigan; others are in North and South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
