'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home

A naked man was reportedly arrested Friday after police say he was found in the crawlspace of an elderly woman's home in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles police officers responded to reports of a "possible suspect (seen) underneath a crawlspace of a home" in the east side neighborhood of El Sereno around 10:30 p.m., according to a statement obtained by USA TODAY.

The arrest came weeks after the 93-year-old woman and her family kept hearing "strange noises" at the home late at night, according to reporting by NBC4 in Los Angeles. Ricardo Silva, the woman's son-in-law, shared in an interview that the family had "chucked it off to animals being under the house."

The noise, which got louder Thursday night, sounded like a series of repetitive knocks, Silva shared in an interview with NBC4 in Los Angeles. The family decided to call the authorities after that.

Officers found the naked man in the crawlspace after they arrived at the home. It took LAPD officers hours to get him out of the crawlspace, using gas, police dogs and a SWAT team to lure him out, according to the Los Angeles Times and NBC4 in Los Angeles.

"He refused to leave," Silva shared with NBC4 in Los Angeles. "He wasn't scared of the dogs, and the first two attempts at gas didn't fish him out."

Situation was a 'bizarre thing,' relative says

The family wasn't sure how long the man was in the crawl space, but suspect that he may have been staying for the last few months. Silva said they plan on "securing" the crawlspace to prevent any future incidents, according to NBC4 in Los Angeles.

“It's a bizarre thing, but it's not probably uncommon, you know, in this day and age, people are looking for shelter,” Silva told NBC4 in Los Angeles.

He was jailed around 4:30 a.m. Friday and was booked on a misdemeanor trespassing charge, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. He has since been released.

His next court date is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6.

The LAPD declined to offer any additional information.