Nevada Man Caught Living in Ceiling of Grocery Store

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Oct 20, 2020 03:58 AM EDT

A Nevada man was caught living in a grocery store's ceiling after he fell through the structure, authorities report.

Lyon County police told the Reno Gazette Journal that the grocery store employees working the night shift saw Matthew Hammar fall through the ceiling on Sept. 30. Hammar is 35 years old.

Officials said the grocery store closed after Hammar fell through the ceiling. Authorities noted that Hammar was noticed because when he made it through the roof of the building and into the grocery store's ceiling area, his feet initially went through the ceiling.

"He took a bad step and one of his feet went through the ceiling, exposing his foot to where people could see it and that's what alerted the employees," Lyon County police Captain Johnny Smith told Crime Online.

Hammar reportedly tried to crawl back into a crawlspace as employees tried to open. The grocery store workers then called the police and surrounded the area.

Hammar was said to have been living above the deli for at least two days. He also had been stealing from Raley's. A report said that some of his property was found in the rafters.

Smith said that from what he knew, Hammar did have a couple of tools and had a little spread as he had been living up in the area.

Smith noted that there had been a few items found where Hammar made himself at home. Hammar was said to have used an exterior ladder to access the roof and climb down onto the rafters.

Officials said they suspected he did this for at least a week before he was caught. Police added that Hammar is homeless and has had several records with the law.

Pandemic and Homelessness

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that homeless people might be at risk for infection when there is a community spread of COVID-19.

With this, the CDC released interim guidance for local and state health departments as a support response for COVID-19.

Sleeping outdoor have different risk associated compared with staying indoors, according to CDC's website. CDC noted that outdoor settings might allow people to practice physical distancing between themselves and others.

"However, sleeping outdoors often does not provide protection from the environment, adequate access to hygiene and sanitation facilities, or connection to services and healthcare," CDC said on its website.

The Nation report noted that homelessness would likely grow worse as 23 million American renters are facing eviction.

Also, the homeless do not get all much COVID-10 related media coverage as they are only a tiny part of the population. This could mean that they lack a much-needed political voice.

According to the Department for Housing and Urban Development, as of January last year, 567,715 people are homeless. About two-thirds of those lived in shelters. The rest are sleeping wherever they could.