Seattle woman finds hidden cameras aimed at her home
Seattle woman finds hidden camera in her yard
A Seattle woman says she feels violated after finding a hidden camera camouflaged in the bushes, pointing straight at her home.
SEATTLE, Wash. - A woman on Seattle’s Beacon Hill says she feels violated after discovering a hidden camera camouflaged in bushes and pointed directly at her front door. She says the incident happened not once, but twice, and she is warning others in her community.
The woman, identified only as Tammie, asked her face not be shown. She shared video of the incidents with FOX 13.
A camera wrapped in camouflage, with only the lens exposed, was found hidden in bushes near her home and aimed straight at her front door.
"Oh, I knew I was being surveillanced," Tammie said.
She said she found the camera one mid-September morning as she was leaving for work.
"I noticed there was a black wire sticking out of bushes," Tammie said.
At first, she thought it was harmless.
"I thought maybe it was my USB cord for my charger," Tammie said.
But she quickly realized it was something more concerning.
"Attached to the wire, there was an extended battery and a camera attached to it," Tammie said.
When Tammie checked the footage, she said the camera was already recording.
"The camera was facing my house for the last four hours," Tammie said.
The discovery left her rattled.
"I felt violated," Tammie said.
Surveillance video from Sept. 18 shows a man wearing a dark-colored hoodie walking up to the same bushes at 2:41 a.m. and then walking away.
"Why us?" Tammie questioned.
Weeks later, on Oct. 7, she says it happened again — this time involving two men. Video shows one man appearing to hide a phone in the bushes, taking more than a minute to place it, while a second man keeps watch. Tammie says there was no rush or fear as they moved freely through the street. She believes she knows why.
"They stuck a green block box up on top, and we realized that was a Wi-Fi jammer. So that’s why they weren’t afraid of looking at the camera, because they thought that they jammed the camera and they couldn’t be recognized," Tammie said.
Tammie believes the men were tracking her routine — who was home and when. She says one of the battery packs she found could last up to three days.
She reported both incidents to Seattle police, who are now investigating the suspicious circumstances.
With the help of a neighbor, Tammie says she recovered deleted files that appeared to show other homes she believes were carefully watched and recorded.
"We know that I’m not the first one, and it went back a few years of things that he pulled up," Tammie said.
Seattle police are asking anyone who recognizes the men or has information to contact them. Tammie, meanwhile, says she wants her community to stay alert and beware of their surroundings and for those responsible to stay away.
"Don't come back, leave us alone," Tammie said.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.