Airbnb guests caught on camera breaking into neighbor's home, police said
Four Airbnb guests who authorities say were captured on security video breaking into a neighbor’s attached Nashville, Tennessee, home have been charged with aggravated burglary, according to court documents.
Amy Allen, the alleged victim, was at home making dinner Friday night with her 3-year-old daughter when her security system alerted her that her porch door had been opened, she said.
“I looked at the cameras to see if the wind blew the door open,” Allen told ABC News.
Instead, she realized there were intruders who “sounded drunk on the camera so I ran up the stairs, and as soon as they heard me, they ran out,” she said.
The men can then be seen on the video running outside and jumping over the 4-foot barrier that separates her property from her neighbor’s.
She called police, who subsequently noticed several men standing next door who fit the description of the alleged burglars, according to court documents.
The men, all from out of town, told police they had entered Allen’s home, with one saying he had taken a $50 bottle of Scotch whiskey, the documents stated.
"I felt bad when I saw them getting arrested because they were scared out of their mind and they’re totally regretting what they did,” Allen said. “I didn’t want them to go to jail for stealing one bottle of alcohol.”
Allen got the liquor back, she said.
“We ran into the men the next day and they apologized over and over again,” Allen told ABC News. “It’s a stupid decision they made.”
The officers told Allen there have been issues with short-term rentals like Airbnb in the Nashville area in recent months, she said.
Since September 2017, the Nashville Department of Codes has received 1,581 calls on its short-term rental properties-complaint hotline.
In the past 30 days, they've received over 130 calls, according to Sean Braisted, public information officer for the Metro Codes Department.
The men -- who are from Arizona, California and Maryland -- are due in court Aug. 10, ABC Nashville affiliate WKRN-TV reported.
When reached for comment, Airbnb released a statement saying, "There have been over 300 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date; negative incidents are extremely rare. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and have removed these individuals from our platform, suspended this listing while we investigate, and are connecting with local law enforcement to offer our assistance. We apologize to Ms. Allen for this disturbance and have reached out to offer her our support. The safety of our community is our priority."
The company suggests if any neighbor has a concern about a specific listing to go on their website and share their concerns.
