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Woman's ex-boyfriend accused of hiding in attic for 3 weeks, police say

Police say Cary Cocuzzi allegedly hid in his ex-girlfriend's attic for three weeks. Photo: Pittsburgh Police Department

PITTSBURGH — A man spent weeks hiding in his ex-girlfriend's attic, police said.

The woman, whose name is not being revealed by WPXI to protect her identity, told police strange things had been happening. She said she found a blanket on the floor and noticed the toilet seat had been moved.

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"I feel like this is going to affect me for the rest of my life," the woman said. "I had an intuition about it but I ignored it, I brushed it aside. I didn't want to seem paranoid but I should have trusted my instincts, because I was right."

For the last three weeks, she said she saw signs inside her Brighton Heights neighborhood home that someone else might be living inside. She was afraid it was her ex-boyfriend, Cary Cocuzzi. She had an active protection from abuse order, also known as a restraining order, against him, WPXI reported.

On Saturday night, she found him standing in the middle of her bedroom. She said he grabbed her by the face and she fought him off.

She ran outside screaming and neighbors called 911.

The woman said she was so thankful her two daughters weren’t home this weekend, but she also feels incredibly violated and worried about what happens when Cocuzzi gets out of jail.

“He did not respect the (protection from abuse order),” she said. “Who knows what could’ve happened?”

The woman shared her story so that others will be careful about who they meet and who they trust.