Man breaks into stranger’s house for bath and food to avoid going home to angry wife

Jun 20, 2025 08:29 PM IST

In Florida, Joe, 44, broke into a home to avoid his wife after an argument. He cooked and bathed for days until neighbors alerted the police.

In a bizarre incident in Florida, a man broke into a stranger’s house and cooked a meal after taking a shower, claiming he was scared to go home to his wife because they had fought earlier. The 44-year-old man, identified by only his first name, Joe, told the Polk County Sheriff’s deputies that he was avoiding going home because he argued with his wife, a report by the New York Post said.

Polk County Sheriff’s deputies said that when they reached the house, they found Joe cooking dinner after taking a bath.(Representational)

After the fight, to avoid his wife, he decided to break into a house in Davenport and live there for many days, cooking meals and bathing. However, his mini vacation away from trouble at home was cut short after neighbours noticed suspicious activity around the house and called the police.

Polk County Sheriff’s deputies said that when they reached the house, they found Joe cooking dinner after bathing. The discovery brought out the cheeky side of the deputies, who referenced “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” in their Facebook post about the case.

Charged with burglary

“We assume the bath temperature was not too hot, nor too cold, but just right. Not only did he not have permission to be there, he also had no idea who owned the house,” he told the sheriff’s office. (He) told deputies that he had gotten in a fight with his wife, and he didn’t want to go home, so he chose to (enter) someone else’s home instead,” they said.

The 44-year-old was arrested and charged with unarmed burglary, misdemeanour petit theft and domestic battery.

Last year, a man in Japan was arrested after he admitted to breaking into over 1,000 homes as a way to relieve stress. After he was questioned, the 37-year-old told police that breaking into houses was his hobby and brought him a feeling of thrill.

“I get so thrilled that my palms sweat when wondering if someone will discover me or not, and it relieves some stress,” he told the police.

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