Suspicious man reported travelling door to door in Ballard

Update:

Since posting the story this morning we have received over ten emails from readers who have seen a man matching the below description at their homes inquiring about their newspaper subscription or delivery service.

My Ballard reader Eden wrote in to confirm that she had an interaction with the man that Susan described a few weeks ago in Ballard. “He claimed to be checking on our newspaper service or something, it was also a very weird conversation,” writes Eden.

Reader Ashley also confirmed that a person matching Susan’s description came to her door (at NW 61st St and 24th Ave NW) a few weeks ago at about the same time in the evening. “He asked if we were regularly receiving our newspaper. He said they just wanted to make sure people were receiving their papers as scheduled. He seemed to kind of peek inside my apartment, and left after less than a minute. Creepy,” writes Ashley.

Rachel who lives in East Ballard also talked to the man that Susan described a few weeks ago.  “He stopped me as I was leaving the house. He was explaining that the Times was providing free papers for a short period and was “collecting” money in advance for the delivery person who would come very early in the morning, or something very similar. He was confused when I told him I don’t get the paper and don’t want it,” writes Rachel.

My Ballard reader Daniel wrote in to report an incident that happened nearly a year ago with a different man who claimed to work for The Seattle Times holding a spiral notebook on a Sunday afternoon. “He was clearly casing the place for opportunistic burglary. A window behind a bush in my house was open and I was reading quietly; he was hoping nobody was home,” writes Daniel.

In light of the apparent multiple sightings of the individual that Susan initially reported, be on the alert and ensure to contact the SPD North Precinct at (206) 684-0850 if you see him. Remember to call 911 in an emergency situation.

Original Post:

My Ballard reader Susan emailed in to let us know about a suspicious man who came to her door on Monday evening asking her if their home had received their newspaper. The man arrived at Susan’s home on NW 64th Street and 36th Ave NW at approximately 7 p.m. without obvious identification and reportedly had an “odd” conversation with her.

The man, who Susan described as a caucasian male, around 30, with greenish eyes and slight to medium build, seemed confused throughout the interaction and carried with him only a small spiral notebook.

“I did an online search and saw there was a similar situation in West Seattle that seemed suspicious in 2012, the week of Easter. Since this is Thanksgiving week, I wondered if this was a method to canvas homes for people on vacation,” writes Susan.

Susan then called The Seattle Times to confirm if they had sent someone out from the company to detail route accuracy in the area. Their distribution company confirmed that this individual does not work for the company and they encourage any locals who answer the door to him to call 911 immediately.

Have you had a similar interaction with a person matching this description in Ballard? Email us at tips@myballard.com. Remember to call 911 immediately in case of emergency.