Two hours after David Crowe appeared in court for stalking Taylor Swift, he was spotted within two blocks of the singer’s New York City townhome and was arrested again for the third time in less than a week.
The stalker has been caught twice in three days lurking outside Taylor Swift’s apartment and on Wednesday, Jan. 24, shortly after being released by a Manhattan judge, neighbours noticed Crowe was back to the neighbourhood for the third time that week and they called 911.
Witnesses say the 33-year-old slowly made his way to the pop icon’s residence after being spotted rummaging through a dumpster across the street from Swift’s Tribeca home at around 1:35 p.m. on Jan 24, police sources said.
It seems he went straight from his Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment to her apartment, with exclusive photos showing him peering into the dumpster from multiple angles.
Prosecutors revealed during the hearing that Crowe had staked out Swift’s apartment 30 times over the past two months.
“I just saw him digging through this dumpster, taking out some blankets and then he just went and sat down on the loading dock a few doors down [from Swift’s apartment],” a neighbor said Wednesday afternoon, adding they were “terrified” when they noticed the prowler at it again.
“My heart dropped,” the neighbor said. “I just thought, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this guy is back! I just want to never see this person again. I hope he gets the help he needs but he needs to leave our little street alone.”
The neighbor, who didn’t wish to be identified, said she saw Crowe over the weekend — when he was detained Saturday night, Jan. 20, for lurking around Swift’s door, and was released without charges.
“He’s been around since Christmas time,” the neighbor said. “The first couple times we saw him, he was sleeping on our stoop or the neighbor’s stoop smoking constantly.”
Police sources said that even though cops took Crowe into custody, they didn’t have a complainant file a report or proof that he actually committed a crime — which led to his release.
But Crowe was spotted outside the “Bad Blood” singer’s home again Monday night, Jan. 22, and this time hit with charges of stalking in the fourth-degree, a misdemeanor, and two counts of harassment.
The charges weren’t eligible for bail, so prosecutors said they instead requested the highest possible tier and level of supervised release at his arraignment on Wednesday, Jan 24.
Sources and legal experts were surprised that Crowe wasn’t hit with higher charges the second time he was taken into custody, which would have allowed Judge Marisol Martinez Alonso to hold him on bail.
After his release on Wednesday, he was arrested just 2 hours later for going to Swift’s house for the third time in less than one week.
Assistant District Attorney Harriet Jiranek said Crowe had visited the “Shake It Off” singer’s home on several occasions — when he tried to shake neighbors on Swift’s whereabouts.
“He constantly states he is there to see Taylor Swift,” Jiranek said. “He has said this to neighbors and asked where she is.”
Crowe, who hulked over a table in a beige sweatshirt that read “Love Doesn’t Just Sit There Like A Stone” on the back, had been warned 10 times to leave Swift’s home by the building’s custodian — but that didn’t stop him from visiting 30 times between Nov. 25 and Jan. 22, according to a criminal complaint.
On several occasions, Crowe told a security guard that he was there to talk to Swift. And each time, the guard told him to leave the building and the area alone, the complaint said.
At least once, the guard asked his name — to which he replied, “David Crowe,” the complaint said.
He was busted by police when a member of Swift’s security team notified police officers who were patrolling the area Monday, Jan. 22, according to law enforcement sources.
The complaint was backdated to Nov. 25. 2023, which helps officers outline Crowe’s pattern of alleged harassment.
Crowe had been on cops’ radar since at least Thanksgiving, sources added.