A woman living in Pennsylvania recently faced a scary situation when a neighbor showed up outside her door looking restless and wielding a machete. The incident took place in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County on April 5, just hours after she installed a doorbell camera, and the footage now has netizens reacting in fear online.
In the video that was shared on TikTok by NBC Philadelphia, the neighbor, who had a shaved head and was wearing only trousers, could be seen knocking on the woman’s door and then pacing briefly while holding the machete behind him. He later bent down and brought the machete close to his face as if inspecting it.
When the woman did not respond or open the door, he called out to her, yelling that she should open the door “real quick.” The news outlet reported that the man also kicked the door in an apparent attempt to force his way inside, although that portion does not appear in the clip.
The man was later arrested, as per court documents obtained by the outlet, and he has been identified as Thomas Zahner. He is now facing multiple charges.
Netizens’ Reaction to the Pennsylvania Incident
The video has gained over 400,000 views as of the time of writing, with most netizens, who appear to be locals, expressing their shock in the comments. One person said, “Thank the Lord she installed the ring camera!” Someone else wrote, “This is really really scary 😱.” A third commented, “That’s terrifying…I’d move immediately.” A fourth added, “Life is hard enough as it is for people not being safe in their own homes.”
Some people also shared that they were careful with how they handle visitors to avoid dangerous situations like this. “Never answer your door unless you know somebody is coming to you and then confirm that it’s them,” one comment advised. Another added, “I dont answer my door when Im alone.”
Zahner’s motive for approaching his neighbor was not stated in the post.
