Nightmare on 142nd Terrace

Last night, sisters Megan and Alli McConnell were forced to evacuate their home after police came to handle a violent neighbor.

Laney Breidenthal, Writer|September 18, 2013

Senior Megan McConnell and her sister, freshman Alli McConnell, were forced by police to evacuate their home due to a potentially violent situation next door. According to the girls, their neighbor, a man in his mid-twenties, allegedly got in a fight with family members around 10 p.m., the McConnells said. The police responded to the situation.

Police cars surround the house in the McConnell's neighborhood.
Police cars surround the house in the McConnell’s neighborhood.

“The police came around one o’clock in the morning,” McConnell said. “They didn’t know how to get him out [of the house], so they made us evacuate around 3:30 in the morning.”

Alli said they sat in their car for two hours and then decided to go to their friend, senior Lindsay Mehlin’s, house to sleep. McConnell said that the police escorted them out of their neighborhood.

Since they were evacuated so suddenly and their street was blocked off, the sisters and their family were not able to grab what they needed for the day.

“Alli was still wearing Lindsay’s clothes, and I didn’t go to school until he surrendered around 10 a.m.,” McConnell said. “Then I went back and got our clothes and backpacks.”

The sisters said this wasn’t the first time something like this has happened with their neighbor.

“The first time this happened two summers ago,” McConnell said.

Junior Sean Coady, who lives in the McConnell's neighborhood, had police officers stationed outside of his house to handle the situation.
Junior Sean Coady, who lives in the McConnell’s neighborhood, had police officers with scoped rifles outside of his house to help with the situation.

That time, the sisters did not have to evacuate, but they could not leave their house.

McConnell and Alli said this situation was frightening, but also annoying because it was not the first time this had happened, and it was so early in the morning. Although this was an unexpected disturbance this morning, the girls are safe and were able to get back to their normal routine.