A homeless Michigan woman was found living in the rooftop sign of a Family Fare supermarket in Midland. She had been staying there for about a year without anyone noticing her.
The 34-year-old unnamed woman was found living inside the business sign when contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of the Family Fare supermarket in Midland decided to follow the wire. It led them inside the rooftop advertising sign where the clandestine guest had set up a cozy nest complete with flooring, a computer, and a coffee maker. Police officers were called, and the woman told them that she had a job elsewhere but had no home and had been living there for about a year.
“She was homeless,” Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department said. “It’s a story that makes you scratch your head, just somebody living up in a sign.”
“People would see her from time to time and then all of a sudden she would vanish,” Warren added. “No one really knew where she went but no one ever indicated or thought that she would be up on top of the roof.”
The woman didn’t tell police how she discovered that the Family Fare supermarket sign was accessible via a door on the roof, or how she even made her way up there without people seeing her, considering that there was no ladder for anyone to climb. She was dubbed the “Roof Ninja” by police because of her discretion in entering and leaving the rooftop sign.
In the time she spent living above the Family Fare supermarket, the woman managed to install some flooring and gain access to electricity via a rooftop electrical outlet. Police found a mini desk, a computer and printer setup, clothing, and other stuff you’d expect to see in an average home.
Upon discovering the woman’s living arrangements, they asked her to leave, and she conformed right after apologizing for any inconvenience. She reportedly declined to contact services for homeless individuals. No charges were filed against her.
“She apologized and continued on her way. Where she went from there, I don’t know, ” Officer Warren said.
