4 years without rent and bills: the person who managed to live secretly in the mall was exposed

Michael Townsend built himself a secret apartment in the mall and furnished it with a sofa and a PlayStation.

He and his friends used the apartment for 4 years, without anyone else knowing about its existence, until they were caught

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01/11/2022

Tuesday, November 01, 2022, 11:50 p.m

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The story of the man who lives secretly in the mall (@livvontheedge)

Have you always dreamed of living in a mall?

That's exactly what this eccentric guy did.

In fact, he listened to a commercial in which the narrator mentioned how wonderful it would be if people could live in a mall - and decided to make that fantasy come true.

Michael Townsend lived in a hidden apartment in the mall for no less than 4 years, without paying rent and bills, until one day he was caught by the security guards.

He furnished his secret apartment with a couch and even got a PlayStation and managed to invite friends over to play without the visitors or employees of the mall suspecting that something was wrong there.

The disturbed story of Michael Townsend began when he was asked to vacate his apartment by developers and had to look for another place to live - and as soon as possible.

Listening to a radio commercial for a shopping mall in his hometown where the announcer talked about how wonderful it would be if people could live in a mall, he remembered that 4 years earlier he was jogging past the newly built mall in town when he noticed an unused space underneath the stores.

He first spotted the unused space beneath the Providence Place mall in Rhode Island, USA, during his daily jog in 1999. He looked closely and spotted a room that seemed to have been created there only by the formation of the differently designed areas around it. In the months that followed, the apartment building of Threatened by the same developers who were responsible for building the mall, Townsend decided it was time for revenge - in other words, he planned to move his home into the secret space he saw in the mall.

Michael Townsend and his friend play PlayStation in the secret apartment in the mall (Photo: screenshot, Youtube/Be Amazed)

No one knew they lived in this huge shopping center (Photo: screenshot, FourSquare)

On his website, he explained: "During the Christmas season of 2003 and 2004, radio commercials for the Providence Place Mall featured an enthusiastic female voice talking about how great it would be if you—meaning we—could live in the mall. The central theme of the ads was that the mall not only Provides a rich shopping experience, but also has all the things you need to survive and lead a healthy life."

Townsend revisited the room he recognized back in 1999 and discovered that it was left unused - so he decided to see if he and his friends could really live in the mall.

He said: "The new plan was not just to live in the mall for a week, but simply to live in the mall forever."

The 70-square-meter apartment was occupied in 2003. It was furnished with a couch and a PlayStation. However, it had no running water, so the gang had to use the mall's public restrooms. According to NBC News, Townsend and his friends also built a block wall in the apartment with a mall vent and a service door. to keep it hidden. They lived in relative peace for four years before the scheme began to unravel. Before he was caught, Townsend had plans to install hardwood floors, a second bedroom and a kitchen. Eventually, security guards found the secret property and confiscated it.

The group documented what was happening inside the apartment in those good old days (photo: screenshot, Youtube/Be Amazed)

They managed to get a sofa into the secret apartment without others noticing them (Photo: screenshot, Youtube/Be Amazed)

The moment of perception

One day, the friends, who had vowed not to talk about the apartment with anyone else, found their utility door open, with their PlayStation and artwork gone.

In response, they took additional precautions, including using the apartment only at night.

They did not know that the security guards were responsible for the break-in and since then have continued to monitor the apartment, ready to attack its residents.

That's exactly what they did when they spotted Townsend arriving at the apartment one afternoon.

Townsend was subsequently charged with trespassing. He claimed that "it was all done out of compassion and an attempt to better understand the mall and life as a shopper." He received a suspended prison sentence, but was barred. He must visit the mall for life, which is a pretty severe punishment in itself.

Watch his story:

The Providence Journal reported that only Townsend and his now-ex-wife, Adriana Young, identified themselves as residents of the mall, but the rest of his friends got off scot-free.

Townsend stayed in touch with the other artists involved in his secret ruse.

After all these years, the guy, who still lives in the area, said: "I wish I could go back to that apartment. There's nothing like living in a mall."

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