Man Changes Address, Tricks Demo Crew Into Destroying Neighbor's House
Inspired by the recent spate of demolition and repossession crews razing and ransacking the wrong houses, one proactive Michigan man whose home was slated to be torn down allegedly switched his address numbers with those of his neighbor, resulting in the house next door being destroyed instead.
However, in a fascinating twist, residents of the Pontiac neighborhood where the intentional mix-up took place say they were happy to be rid of that other house.
"When I heard they tore down the house on accident I wanted to give them a twelve pack of beer," neighbor Fred Sargent told WXYZ. "I was that happy."
According to locals, the house that was demolished had been allowed to fall into disrepair by its owner, Mike, and was an "eyesore" occupied by squatters.
Mike told the ABC affiliate he planned to rent out the house this fall, and was considering demanding a new house from the city.
But Sargent said he was glad Mike wouldn't have a chance to take on tenants.
"If anybody was going to rent that out, it had to be a crackhead," he told the news station.
Unfortunately for the man behind the apparent ruse, his reprieve lasted only a few short hours. The demo crew eventually returned to the scene to complete their original job.
