A Kelowna resident is counting her blessings after finding herself in an extremely harrowing incident.
The woman lives by herself at her apartment, which was entered by an unknown man around 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
“I woke up and sat up and there was a man standing in my (bedroom) doorway, I could see his silhouette,” the woman told Global News on Friday.
“I could tell he was in his underwear because I could see his body and he was whispering to me, ‘Do you live here? Is this your place?’”
The woman, whose identity will be kept hidden for safety reasons, said she quickly jumped out of bed and walked into her living room, where the man had undressed and had made a bed on her couch.
After the woman repeatedly told the man to leave, she ran out into her hallway where she went to a neighbour for help.
By the time the woman and a neighbour returned to her apartment, the man had fled, exiting via the patio door of the ground-floor apartment.
“He was five feet from where I was sleeping,” said the woman.
“He could have cracked me over the head and I wouldn’t have woken up. He could have done anything to me. People need to make sure they check their locks.”
According to the witness and police, the suspect is described as a Caucasian man, five-feet-six-inches tall, with a slim build, shaved head, and was wearing a red bandana, a dark hoodie and grey sweatpants.
The woman said she was sure she locked her door, but is not sure if it was latched properly.
“People need to go on the outside (of their homes) and test their doors and windows and make sure they’re locked. This could have been worse, this could have been way worse.”
Kelowna RCMP was unavailable for an interview but did confirm there was a home intrusion at the apartment.
In a statement, police said, “We encourage all residents in the Central Okanagan to ensure their homes are secure by shutting and locking all exterior doors and windows. We are also encouraging that residents adapt the 9 p.m. routine to make it a habit of ensuring their vehicle and residence is secure on a nightly basis.”
A 9 p.m. routine would include ensuring all doors and windows are shut and locked, putting away all valuables that can be seen from outside in both vehicles and inside homes, securing sheds and outbuildings and turning on exterior lights.
Anyone with possible information about the home intrusion is asked to contact Kelowna RCMP.