Inset: Beniamin Bucur. Background: The crawl space of the Oregon home that Beniamin Bucur was secretly living in for months (Clackamas County Sheriff's Office).
An Oregon man lived for almost three months in a crawl space under a family's townhome with a sword and multiple knives after he "snuck" in using the "cover of darkness," according to prosecutors. He is now headed to prison.
Beniamin Bucur, 41, was convicted of burglary by a Clackamas County jury on Tuesday and sentenced to 36 months in prison. Prosecutors say he "constructed an elaborate living space" inside the family's crawl space last year "complete with lights, a kitchen and a gaming area."
Bucur would come and go while the family living above him — a married couple and their young daughter — was completely unaware of his presence, according to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office.
"Using the cover of darkness, the defendant snuck into the crawl space of this family's home, moved in his belongings, including multiple televisions, gaming consoles, cooking burners — he even hung string lights — racking up the electricity usage while the family unknowingly footed the bill," said Deputy DA Tiffany Escover, who prosecuted the case, in a statement Wednesday. "For two and a half months, Beniamin Bucur was the roommate the family never knew they had."
The secret unraveled after a neighbor noticed Bucur entering the crawl space and called police, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
"A witness reported seeing a man who was not known to live in the complex parking his car and walking to the back of one of the buildings," a CCSO press release said in September 2025. "The witness also noticed the door to the crawl space was open and light was coming from inside. The door then closed."
Deputies responded to the townhome, located near Happy Valley on Southeast Old Town Court, and noticed that the door to the crawl space was damaged and locked. An extension cord was spotted running through a vent.
"After contacting the owner, deputies were told that nobody was supposed to be down there and that there shouldn't be any lights on inside," the sheriff's office said. "The owner also reported that they had heard strange noises coming from the crawl space before."
Deputies used a Halligan pry bar to breach the crawl space door after getting permission from the family. "Standing just inside the door, they found Bucur, who was promptly arrested," the DA's office said in a press release announcing Bucur's sentence.
Police found a sword, multiple knives and a pipe with methamphetamine residue inside the crawl space while searching it. Bucur, who pleaded guilty to possessing the meth, was found to have a criminal history going back more than 20 years, including prior convictions for burglary, drug possession and theft.
"The jury deliberated for approximately 20 minutes before finding Bucur guilty," the DA's office said.