People typically associate a home with security, tranquility, and privacy. That’s why the thought of an intruder breaking into one’s home can be especially frightening.

Unfortunately, for one family in the American city of Pittsburgh, their home has ceased to be a place of complete peace.

John and Ashley Kennedy live with their ten-month-old child. Their bedroom is directly below the attic, where the baby’s crib is. Until a certain point, their life had been peaceful. A man lived next door to them while renovating his house, but the family rarely interacted with him and paid little attention.

One night, the situation changed.

Strange sounds suddenly awakened John. The noise was quite distinct, and he immediately realized it was not coming from the street but from somewhere inside the house.

He got out of bed and began to examine the room. It soon became clear that the sounds were indeed coming from the attic. Furthermore, he noticed a strange flickering light through one of the ceiling pipes. This completely alarmed the homeowner.

Confused about what was happening, John decided the next day to check the attic and install surveillance cameras.

However, what he saw on the video recording a day later was far more disturbing than he could have imagined.

The camera captured their neighbor, 69-year-old Robert Havrilla, moving around the Kennedy family’s attic, inspecting the space.

The footage also showed the neighbor holding a power drill. It later emerged that during renovations to his home, he had installed a removable partition between his attic and the Kennedy family’s attic. This allowed him to enter their space freely.

This came as a real shock to John and Ashley.

When John carefully examined the wall separating the houses, he discovered several small holes. To temporarily close them, he stuffed the holes with pieces of paper and napkins.

The couple’s lawyer, Jack Goodridge, later commented on the situation, noting that such an invasion of privacy is deeply disturbing.

Robert Havrilla was ultimately arrested on July 17. He was charged with stalking and trespassing. However, he pleads not guilty.

Havrilla’s lawyer stated that his client had no malicious intent. He claimed that his neighbor was in the attic solely for construction work and had no intention of spying on anyone.

Despite these allegations, the Kennedy family hopes the case will be heard fairly. After their ordeal, they only want one thing: to feel safe in their own home again and sleep soundly at night.