A Seattle man was arrested twice in the span of a few days outside the New York City home of musician Taylor Swift, the second time on stalking and harassment charges, police and local media reported on Tuesday.
The New York Police Department said it responded to a 911 call on Saturday that David Crowe, 33, was trying to open the door of a building on a street in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Tribeca where Swift, 34, has an apartment. He was trying to open the door of Swift's home and was reported to police by a member of Swift's security team, ABC News reported, which police were unable to confirm.
He was arrested on an outstanding warrant from 2017, police said.
Police on Monday evening again found Crowe near the building after receiving reports that he was harassing multiple people in the street and acting "erratically." He did not attempt to enter the building, but was asking people if they knew that Swift lived there and had been scouring the neighbourhood for several weeks, the New York Post reported.
He was again arrested, this time on multiple charges of stalking and harassment, police said, and remained in police custody on Tuesday. Crowe could not be reached for comment, and it was unclear whether he was represented by a lawyer.
Swift, who came out of the Nashville country music scene to become one of the most successful performers in the United States, has repeatedly been harassed by stalkers over the years. A spokesperson for Swift did not immediately respond to questions on Tuesday.
Swift wrote in an Elle magazine article in 2019 about the frightening nature of stalkers, and said she carries around army-grade bandage dressing designed for gunshot or stab wounds.
"Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I've ever had online," she wrote. "You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things." – Reuters