'Ghost' In UNC Student’s Apartment Turns Out To Be Man In Closet, Wearing Her Clothes

GREENSBORO, NC — A University of North Carolina at Greensboro student reportedly found the source of sudden noises and missing garments when she discovered a stranger inside her closet, clad in her clothing.

The third-year student, identified simply as Maddie, said she had been losing clothes and noticing odd handprints around her apartment, located just off UNC Greensboro campus. Maddie said she and her roommate joked about being haunted by a ghost.

Maddie told the press she came home during a lunch break on February 2 and caught the “ghost” in the act. She said: “I just hear rattling in my closet. It sounded like a raccoon in my closet. I’m like, ‘Who’s there?’ And somebody answers me. He’s like, ‘Oh, my name is Drew.’ I open the door and he’s in there, wearing all of my clothes. My socks. My shoes. And he has a book bag full of my clothes.”

Police have since identified the man accused of being in the closet as Andrew Swofford, 30.

Maddie said she spoke softly, aiming to keep the man calm, and that when her attempt to call 911 using her Apple watch didn’t go through, she dialed her boyfriend.

She alleges that Swofford tried on her hat, begged her not to call the police, and said, “You’re really pretty. Can I give you a hug?”

Responding officers arrested Swofford and charged him with misdemeanor breaking and entering. However, Swofford has been additionally charged with 14 felony counts in an unrelated case, including breaking and entering, and he’s being held on $26,000 bond at the Guilford County Jail.

In the aftermath, Maddie said she was physically unharmed, but she and her roommate remain rattled — especially since this isn’t the first time strange men have turned up in their apartment.

On December 19, the women reported “two guys in the living room” to their leasing office. The company said they changed the locks, but did not file a police report.

Still, Maddie said she has had enough, stating, “Last night I did not feel safe. I slept with my roommate in her bed. I can’t stay here. My closet, it stinks. Every time I go in [my room] there’s a bad vibe. I’m just ready to leave.”

Read more: WHNT, WGHP