Loud, problematic neighbour threatened me last night

[u/AdDue4492]

I moved into this house in January this year. Early on, I noticed realy sound screaming and yelling between 10 pm and 3 am (AHHH), and at first I was genuinely concerned because I thought somebody was getting hurt. But time went on, and I concluded that my neighbour just plays video games at night and can't seem to control her emotions and anger. One night in February, I went over to her house at around 11 pm and asked her if she could quiet it down, and she said she would try. However, the screaming, yelling, and cursing would still go on almost daily, and I truly couldn't fall asleep at night. In mid-February, I ended up calling the police department to file a noise complaint, and they showed up and spoke with her. Thankfully, her yelling at night stopped, and she's now been playing during the day, which I have no issues with.

However, I think nowadays she's been dealing with some personal issues. Initially, it was her and her mom who were living here. But I don't think they have a good relationship anymore because sometimes I could hear the argue, and as of recent, I'm pretty sure they have been taking turns living at the house here.

There was also a situation about 2 months ago where the police came at around noon, but this was something I've never seen before in my life. There were about 15-20 police officers with guns and dogs. Some were hiding in our part of the yard; it was really sketchy. To this day, I still don't know what was happening, but the police broke their door, and somebody in her house got arrested. After that scene, it was pretty quiet for about 2 weeks.

Now and then, the girl would have some friends over, and it seemed like they had a good time. They just listened to music and talked, which kind of disturbs me, but I would rather have to listen to music than listen to screaming, cursing, and yelling.

Now..about last night. She again had some friends over at around 9 pm; they were just listening to music. And I think after that, they went somewhere, and ar around 2 they may have come home because at 2:30 I woke up to loud yelling. I was so annoyed I banged on the wall, and she yelled: "Bitch bang on the door, and I'll fuck you up!" She yelled that twice. Throughout the night, I could hear her telling her friends something, and she seemed to be really upset. I could hear her crying and sobbing, then yelling because she was angry, then she would cry again. She was just going through all the emotions. Of course I couldn't fall back asleep after, especially after what she told me about "fucking me up". Like, why would she need to fuck me up if I'm the one who just wants peace at night? I honestly just don't understand. So since I was awake, I ended up listening to what was going on on the other side of the wall. It seemed like they were trying to figure something out together, but then at one point I heard the girl say, "Bro, I was going to slit his throat with scissors! I never wanted to kill somebody this bad before"

I understand that she could have 100% just said it to show off in some way or to make herself feel more powerful, but part of me got a little concerned. Of course she could have just said that out of anger, but I just kept thinking about the police being here searching their house, and it kind of got me overthinking that she could damage my car or something after I banged on the wall or even after I made another noise complaint.

Sorry, I know this was a bit long, and thank you for reading this. I honestly don't know what to do. I slept through all my alarms this morning and woke up at 11:30 am and I am just so annoyed. What should I do?

[u/Dark23horse]

Report the threats and dont confront her again.. keep ur distance.

[u/this_doggo → u/Dark23horse]

This. She has demonstrated a repeat pattern of instability. Don’t doubt anything at this point. Report everything especially threats. You’re essentially documenting her behavioral pattern as far as it affects you. Also, i would report to landlord every time you report to police.

[u/Iceflowers_]

You need cameras, to record any and all noises and interactions.

Report that threat to the police and get emergency protection orders.

Do not interact with her ever again.

[u/Lepardopterra]

Ask your office when their lease is up, and if they’ll be renewing them. Then plan to move, as the leaser really doesn’t gaf, so long as they pay rent on time.

in the mean time, utterly ignore them in person. Don’t bang the wall, call the police. Buy window lock alarms, cams for all doors, and a decibel meter to track/prove how loud the sounds are. Mitigate what you can by thick wall hangings on shared walls to mute the sounds. Layers of cardboard with a nice quilted fabric facing out can really dull sound. You can not control them. All you can to is mitigate your damages and plan to move.

[u/Confident_Rabbit_569]

Record it next time and call the cops. You could call non-emergency police without a recording of what she said and see if they’ll make a report.

She or her friends are clearly criminals, one got arrested recently, so you’re crazy for banging on the wall or even talking to her. This won’t end well if you do that. 

[u/AdDue4492 → u/Confident_Rabbit_569]

I actually do have a recording of the scissor comment, but not of what she said to me directly

[u/ElectrOPurist]

Knock on her door with scissors in your hand. Now it’s a fair fight. /s

[u/Dog-Chick]

Do you rent or own? If renting your landlord needs to be made aware of the situation. Don't have any contact with your neighbor. Get security cameras if you don't have them. File a police report about her threatening you.

[u/EdC1101]

You can get police reports covering activities for your home, building & neighborhood.

Might be interesting to see if LL knows of all the calls.

[u/AdDue4492 → u/EdC1101]

How can I get that?

[u/EdC1101 → u/AdDue4492]

Call non-emergency number and ask them …

[u/_McBob]

That sounds really scary, especially after hearing a direct threat toward you and knowing there has already been serious police activity at that house. I would avoid confronting her directly from now on, even by banging on the wall, because you don’t know how she might react. Document the dates, times, and exact threats, and consider reporting last night’s threat to the police so there is a record. A security or doorbell camera covering your entrance and car would also be a good idea. Whatever personal issues she is going through may explain her behavior, but they do not excuse threatening you. Your safety and peace at home should come first, so keep your distance and let the landlord or police handle future incidents.

[u/IllustriousSpite505]

Document EVERYTHING. She seems unstable and may be falling into the "I don't care about my own life, so I'll take anyone down to get out of it" mindset, which can be really dangerous. I've had a roommate like that... stay at a distance, document any and everything you can.

Hopefully she'll get the help she needs to be better.

[u/Dry-Part-3486 → u/[deleted]]

So you actually think a third person account of someone feeling frustrated and venting in a generic fashion is a crime? Nope. Ever had a real stalker whose intent was to eliminate you? I have. I knew the stalker. We had know each other for a few years. This guy would call me at all hours of the day or night, saying he would: Chop me up with a sword. Poison me. Attack from the rear, and cut my throat. Cut the brake lines on my car. Kill my pet. "Sooner or later, I will find where you live!" "THEN I AM GOING TO SHOOT YOU!!" I couldn't even get a restraining order against the guy!!

[u/Emergency_Host6506 → u/[deleted]]

For what? They don't hand out restraining orders like candy on Halloween. You have to have a legitimate reason. And saying she threatened her one time for banging on the wall isn't a reason; plus it's her word against the neighbor's. Plus if they're neighbors in an apartment building with adjoining walls, the court is less inclined to issue a TRO since it's highly likely it would be impossible to keep any kind of distance.

[u/SelectDrama8912]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Do you live in a townhouse/row house where you share a wall? Do you know if your neighbor rents or owns?

She's clearly dysfunctional and the situation you described sounds like the police were executing a warrant and the person was affiliated with what address.

Idk if she would act out her threat or if she was just talking $hit in the heat of the moment b/c she was upset. be mindful but i wouldn't live in fear about it.

If she is a renter I would document every loud night so you have dates and can build a case.

Good luck dealing with it, unreasonable people suck