Office Light Keeps Coming On… Could Someone Have Broken In?

Seeking Advice
1

Hey everyone, I’m in a confusing situation and could use some advice.

I live in a three-story building. On one side, there’s an abandoned building, and on the other, a Christian Center with regular activities. The rooftops are connected.

Last Friday night, I noticed my office light (on the 3rd floor) was on when I came home. I thought maybe I forgot to turn it off. The next morning, I found the light on again and the curtains were open, which spooked me. I could’ve forgotten to close the curtains, but I don’t think I forgot the light. I made sure to turn it off this time, closed the curtains, and left to meet a friend.

When I got back that night, the light was on again. This time I was scared. I called a friend to help me check the place, and we found nothing, but the curtain was left just how I’d left it. The only thing out of place was a broken window lock in the office, but I hadn’t fixed it because it’s on the 3rd floor, so I figured no one could get in that way. Nothing was missing, and there’s no sign of a hidden camera. The light has never turned on by itself before or since then. The building is old, and all the locks are bolt locks.

One way someone could’ve gotten in is by climbing down from the rooftop, but that seems far-fetched. Even if they did, how would they leave? I checked my front door camera—nothing. Sadly, I don’t have rooftop cameras, so I can’t say if someone was up there. The curtain made me think no one came in through the window.

We got the key to the abandoned building but found no sign of entry. I also spoke to the Christian Center next door, and they haven’t seen anyone strange around. I checked with a security guard and a nearby restaurant, but no one saw anything weird. My neighbors also said there haven’t been any burglaries in the area.

I’ve since added locks outside every room and more security cameras.

Still, I’m confused. If someone broke in, what’s the reason? Could the bolt lock be opened from the outside? Why only leave the light on in one room? Could it be something supernatural? Could the light switch on by itself? I’ve lived here for six months and nothing odd has ever happened before. Any advice on what else to check or how to protect myself would be appreciated!

Thanks!

2

I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

3

EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Another possibility is that the light is smart or wired weirdly so it turns on with other circuits.

I had a similar freakout when I came home to see my guest room light on, but all my smart bulbs had reset to their default state after a power outage.

4

EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

5

Austin said:

EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they had a key somehow, but I didn’t see anything on the front door camera.

I think he was talking about you, not an outsider.

6

Archer said:

Austin said:
EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they had a key somehow, but I didn’t see anything on the front door camera.

I think he was talking about you, not an outsider.

Haha, that’s funny!

7

Archer said:

Austin said:
EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they had a key somehow, but I didn’t see anything on the front door camera.

I think he was talking about you, not an outsider.

I’m pretty sure my mental health is fine, and I don’t think he was referring to me.

8

Austin said:

Archer said:
Austin said:
EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they had a key somehow, but I didn’t see anything on the front door camera.

I think he was talking about you, not an outsider.

I’m pretty sure my mental health is fine, and I don’t think he was referring to me.

I’m not taking sides, but that’s definitely what he meant.

By the way, do you have carbon monoxide detectors? There’s a famous story about a guy who thought weird things were happening in his apartment, but it turned out to be carbon monoxide poisoning that made him forget what he was doing.

9

Archer said:

Austin said:
Archer said:
Austin said:
EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they had a key somehow, but I didn’t see anything on the front door camera.

I think he was talking about you, not an outsider.

I’m pretty sure my mental health is fine, and I don’t think he was referring to me.

I’m not taking sides, but that’s definitely what he meant.

By the way, do you have carbon monoxide detectors? There’s a famous story about a guy who thought weird things were happening in his apartment, but it turned out to be carbon monoxide poisoning that made him forget what he was doing.

I thought about that, but that’s not what’s going on here.

10

Austin said:

EvansBrown12 said:
I have two ideas for you:

  1. Someone might have a condition like Schizophrenia that could lead to delusions like this.

  2. There’s a story out there about someone living in another person’s house without them knowing.

The easiest thing to do is put a motion-activated camera in the room. If it shows you forgetting to turn off the light, that’s one thing. If it shows someone entering, that’s something else. Or maybe the light is turning itself on. You can get motion-activated cameras from Ring or even cheap ones on Amazon.

Thanks! I’ve already installed a camera in that room, and so far, nothing strange has happened.

As for someone with schizophrenia, I would think they’d have to enter through the front door if they somehow had a key, but I didn’t see anything strange on the front door camera.

r/woosh

11

People can climb up buildings in surprising ways. You should change the locks if you haven’t already, and fix the window lock. It might be someone messing with you. Also, check if your bulb is a smart bulb, and put a camera in the room like others have suggested.

12

Dallas122 said:
People can climb up buildings in surprising ways. You should change the locks if you haven’t already, and fix the window lock. It might be someone messing with you. Also, check if your bulb is a smart bulb, and put a camera in the room like others have suggested.

Thanks! I’ve already installed the cameras inside.

13

Since you have outdoor security cameras, why not put an indoor camera in that room pointing at the light switch?

Also, are you sure the switch isn’t part of a home automation system? Is it just a regular switch, or can it be controlled remotely?

14

Steve4 said:
Since you have outdoor security cameras, why not put an indoor camera in that room pointing at the light switch?

Also, are you sure the switch isn’t part of a home automation system? Is it just a regular switch, or can it be controlled remotely?

It’s an old building, and I’m sure it’s just a regular switch. I’ve already installed an indoor camera since this happened, and so far, nothing else has happened.

15

Are you 100% sure there’s no motion sensor for that light? Maybe it’s always been there, but you never noticed. Or there could be a second switch somewhere else in the house.

You could also record yourself turning the light off before leaving. That way, you’ll know for sure if you turned it off or not. If the light still comes on, you’ll know something else is going on, and then you can take other steps like setting up a camera.

16

BookwormBard said:
Are you 100% sure there’s no motion sensor for that light? Maybe it’s always been there, but you never noticed. Or there could be a second switch somewhere else in the house.

You could also record yourself turning the light off before leaving. That way, you’ll know for sure if you turned it off or not. If the light still comes on, you’ll know something else is going on, and then you can take other steps like setting up a camera.

Thanks! It’s a pretty old building, so I’m sure there’s no motion sensor. We’ve tried all the other switches in the house, and there’s no second switch. I’ll try recording myself turning the light off. I’ve also set up an indoor camera in the room, and so far, nothing has happened.

17

Austin said:

BookwormBard said:
Are you 100% sure there’s no motion sensor for that light? Maybe it’s always been there, but you never noticed. Or there could be a second switch somewhere else in the house.

You could also record yourself turning the light off before leaving. That way, you’ll know for sure if you turned it off or not. If the light still comes on, you’ll know something else is going on, and then you can take other steps like setting up a camera.

Thanks! It’s a pretty old building, so I’m sure there’s no motion sensor. We’ve tried all the other switches in the house, and there’s no second switch. I’ll try recording myself turning the light off. I’ve also set up an indoor camera in the room, and so far, nothing has happened.

If the camera records 24/7, you might not need to record yourself, but it’s still a good idea. You can quickly check your video to see if you turned off the light.

18

Austin said:

BookwormBard said:
Are you 100% sure there’s no motion sensor for that light? Maybe it’s always been there, but you never noticed. Or there could be a second switch somewhere else in the house.

You could also record yourself turning the light off before leaving. That way, you’ll know for sure if you turned it off or not. If the light still comes on, you’ll know something else is going on, and then you can take other steps like setting up a camera.

Thanks! It’s a pretty old building, so I’m sure there’s no motion sensor. We’ve tried all the other switches in the house, and there’s no second switch. I’ll try recording myself turning the light off. I’ve also set up an indoor camera in the room, and so far, nothing has happened.

Just to note, regular switches usually say on/off on them. Double switches don’t, but they look similar.

19

It sounds like your light is somehow connected to a switch in the other unit. Maybe the building is mis-wired.

20

Charlieronny said:
It sounds like your light is somehow connected to a switch in the other unit. Maybe the building is mis-wired.

It’s possible, but it happened for three days straight, and then it never happened again.