Menacing door knocker caught on camera by North Shore resident

a man in  a black hoodie stands near a door with his hand raised to knock.
A photograph of the man caught door-knocking. Photo credit: Facebook

Photos have emerged of a man approaching houses on Auckland's North Shore in broad daylight after residents reported suspicious door-knocks have woken them at night.

The pictures, shared on Facebook by an East Coast Bays resident, show a man in a hoodie and red peaked cap knocking on the doors of houses in the neighbourhood.

The resident says the man's strange behavior and inconsistent story aroused their suspicion. 

"This man has knocked on our door twice at approximately 12pm in the past two weeks looking for random people," they said.

"Last week he asked for Amanda and today he was looking for Ivana. Last week he was driving a blue hatchback and this week a blue sedan," the resident claimed.

They say once he was rejected, the man went over to the neighbours. The resident says they called police about the incident.

Newshub has contacted police for comment.

The photographs follow just days after one woman's chilling story about a 4am caller to her home in nearby Beach Haven.

She says the woman knocked lightly at the door three times.

"She said 'let me in, I need some help', but she was very clearly not distressed. Normally I would but I've seen posts where there's a male waiting outside," she wrote on a community Facebook page.

Other people chimed in on the post saying they had similar experiences.

 "I had something similar happen to me last night with someone knocking at my door at 1.45am... was pretty freaky," wrote another woman. 

Police confirmed they responded to this incident but were unable to locate the suspicious woman. They cannot comment on whether the door knocking is a trend or not. 

They recommend anyone who receives a suspicious door knock call 111 immediately.

Police also recommend taking measures to protect yourself: 

  • Don't open the door to strangers. Install a peephole in your door. If you don't know someone, keep the door closed.
  • Have a phone by your bed.
  • Arrange with a neighbour to phone or visit you if your curtains are still drawn after a certain time in the morning.
  • Never tell someone that you are alone in the house.
  • Install a wide-angle door viewer so you can see who is at your door.
  • Keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains at night.
  • Invest in good-quality, secure locks.

 

Newshub.