A North Carolina Couple Mistakes Their Robot Vacuum for an Intruder, Calls 911
Not everyone appeared to have a serene Christmas this year. According to ABC, a couple in North Carolina was startled by a noise coming from downstairs in their home early on Christmas morning. They called 911, only to realize it was not a burglar. It was their robot vacuum, operating on something less than its best behavior.
The incident occurred in High Point in Forsyth County, where Thomas Milam and his wife heard commotion from their upstairs bedroom after retiring to bed on Christmas Eve. Believing someone had broken into their home, they hid in a closet and phoned for help. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found no intruder, just a robot vacuum—made by Eufy but named Harry by the homeowners—activated and stuck in a portion of the room, making audible noises as it repeatedly rammed itself into a wall.
This is not the first time a robotic vacuum has been mistaken for a criminal. In April 2019, two house-sitters outside of Portland, Oregon, phoned police and reported an individual was in the bathroom. They could see a shadow moving from underneath the door. Police shouted at the suspect to come out, their guns drawn. When their orders went ignored, they stormed in and discovered a Roomba. It was apprehended without incident.
[h/t ABC]