Woman: Ex-Boyfriend Hid in My House for Weeks

Pittsburgh's Cary Cocuzzi facing burglary charges
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 25, 2019 6:36 AM CDT
Woman: Ex-Boyfriend Hid in My House for Weeks
Cary Cocuzzi   (Allegheny County Jail)

The toilet seat was left up. That was a Pittsburgh woman's first clue that someone was in her house who shouldn't have been. All doubt was removed shortly before noon on Saturday. Police say an ex-boyfriend who'd been hiding in the woman's Brighton Heights home for at least two weeks jumped out from behind her bedroom door, grabbing her and putting a hand over her mouth before she was able to rush outside screaming, per the AP. Neighbors then called 911. "Who knows what could've happened?" the unidentified woman tells WPXI. A month earlier, she'd secured a protection from abuse order against Cary Cocuzzi, whom she alleges previously tried to sexually assault her, per the Washington Post.

He was to have no contact with her, yet the woman had an inkling that he was close by, particularly after she found a blanket in a corner of her unused basement. But "what could I do? I already had the PFA against him. I can't call the police and say there's a blanket in my basement." The 37-year-old, who is thankful her two daughters weren't home on Saturday, now hopes other women think deeply about whom they choose to trust. Allegedly found hiding under clothes in the woman's home, the 31-year-old told police he "was tired of being homeless," according to an affidavit. He allegedly sneaked in and out of a side door and slept in the woman's attic. He's being held on charges of burglary and unlawful restraint. A preliminary hearing is set for May 2. (This woman's ex fell through her ceiling.)

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