Taylor Swift stalker arrested after attempted break-in at TriBeCa apartment: Cops
Taylor Swift attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)
NEW YORK - A stalker who claims pop star Taylor Swift is communicating with him on social media was arrested on a trespassing charge after trying to break into the singer's Manhattan apartment, the NYPD said Monday.
Hanks Johnson, 52, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported he was inside Swift's Tribeca building without permission, a police spokesperson said.
Johnson was charged with criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance after an arraignment Sunday night. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney who could comment.
The Daily News reports that outside the courthouse, Johnson made a show of sending direct messages to Swift’s Instagram account and claimed the predictive text suggestions on his phone were replies from her.
He also showed off a restraining order barring him from contacting models Bella and Gigi Hadid, who are friends of Swift's, the newspaper said.
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Swift, who is back at the top of the charts with her rerecording of 2008's "Fearless," has been plagued over the years by stalkers at her homes on both coasts. A different man was arrested for breaking into her New York apartment in 2018 and taking a nap, police said.
Bullets flew outside singer Swift's Tribeca home in Sept. 2020 after an armed robbery at a nearby sneaker store, according to the NYPD.
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The wild incident happened near 153 Franklin Street. Swift purchased the $18 million townhome in 2017. She also owns several apartments next door.
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With the Associated Press