40-year-old parents leave their 3-year-old's stroller in front of their neighbors door for months, mom gets her mom to yell at the neighbor after she reported them to property management: 'Her mother berated me on speaker phone'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Jan 12, 2025 11:00 AM EST

It's common for residents of small apartment buildings in New York to store some of their stuff in the hallway. My neighbor stores his bike against the railing in the hallway between our door and the stairs upstairs, and it's not a nuisance to us or the people in apartment 3. Sometimes, you don't have enough space to put everything, especially things that are meant to be stored outside, in your apartment, so you have to get a little creative. Your bike is a lot less likely to get stolen from inside your building than it is outside of it. 

I would definitely feel a different kind of way if my neighbor's bike was constantly leaning against my door. There's a big difference between something you have to squeeze by when you're going to the roof and a safety hazard that is totally unnecessary. After all, there are ways to store bikes inside of a small apartment. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10453246720
    via Sam Jotham Sutharson

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • The family in this story decided that their stroller needed to take a permanent residency in front of their neighbor's door. They have a 3-year-old and refuse to bring their giant stroller up to the 3rd floor of their apartment building. Instead, they leave it to another parent in their apartment building. 

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    I (32F) live in NYC. I recently moved into a small building, three stories, 6 apartments in total. My apartment is a ground floor unit. From move in a neighbor (40F and 40M) has been storing their large stroller in front of my front door, which poses
    via u/carplast
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    problems every time I have to come and go from my apartment. It is also against fire code and explicitly forbidden in the building's leases. The stroller is there every day, unless their kid (3M) decides he doesn't want to walk.
    via u/carplast
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    One day when I heard them leaving it there, I introduced myself and politely said them leaving their stroller there was causing me issues and it is against the city's fire code and asked them to no longer keep their stroller in front of my front
    via u/carplast
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    door. The 40F neighbor gave me excuses that they live on the third floor, but the 40M neighbor straight up raised his voice at me, while I was holding my infant daughter. The woman said as a compromise she'd fold the stroller when leaving it front of my door.
    via u/carplast
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    As time went on, the stroller was never folded up and continued to block my door. As it is against fire code, and explicitly forbidden in the lease, I decided to reach out to property management for help resolving this issue. I just want to be able to safely come and go from my apartment.
    via u/carplast
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    The day the property management enforced this on these neighbors, the 40F neighbor rang my doorbell, and proceeded to refuse to speak to me and called her mother. Her mother then berated me on speaker phone and said I should have spoken to them first,
    via u/carplast
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    மாடி
    via Julien L

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    ignoring me when I said I did. She then kind of threatened me saying I "complained about the wrong people". I was stunned and couldn't believe this was happening. All I could muster was insisting it is against fire code and no one gets to break fire code.
    via u/carplast
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    Cheezburger Image 10453251584
    via Paul Hanaoka

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    I am baffled by this behavior. I found it a bizarre confrontation and I didn't know adults could act this way. I've never had issues with neighbors before.
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    I have a child younger than their's and empathize with their situation, but their kid is massive and able to walk. They could just have an umbrella stroller, like I do. I just wanted access to my front door. AITA?
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    tl;dr neighbor in small apartment building breaks fire code and blocks my front door and ignores polite personal request to stop. I take it up with building management. The neighbor initiated bizarre confrontation with her mother on speaker phone, making vague threats. AITA?
    via u/carplast
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    EDIT: I appreciate the outside perspective. I didn't think I was TA, but I do have people pleasing tendencies and it was very clear my actions hurt people's feelings, and it gave me self doubt.
    via u/carplast
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    The reason I engaged with the mother on the phone at all is. bizarre too, it's all just too weird and I'm reeling a little lol. The 40F neighbor has an unusual way of speaking, I haven't been able to work out if it is an accent or what. When she put the mother on speaker phone I had a sinking thought that maybe the 40F neighbor is deaf and needs someone to talk for her and I felt bad that maybe I'd made a deaf person feel victimized when they can't speak up for themselves???? But like she clearl
    via u/carplast
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    her mother was just on speaker phone with no video and she had zero issues following the conversation. Apart from this is incident and the other neighbor stuff this woman and her man have pulled, they seem like normal functional adults. The man does not have an unusual way of speaking. I don't think her unusual way of speaking is really a factor in whether I'm TA, and I
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    have been so eager to be polite and respectful. It became clear very quickly the phone call wasn't really about helping in communication, but just messy people expressing their anger as much as possible. But yeah, that's why I let the phone call happen. Messy.
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    UnfortunateDaring NTA - why didn't you just close your door on these AHs. Just report them again for harassment to property management. Start videoing any interaction with them.
    via u/UnfortunateDaring
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    carplast OP 100%. I was kicking myself for not recording it. It wasn't a long interaction, but it went on too long. I kept hoping I could make it rational. I'd recommend to anyone recording interactions if you think it might get pear shaped.
    via u/carplast
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    ALostAmphibian The stroller can go to the garbage. Call the what? Police? Building inspector? Fire department? Whoever.
    via u/ALostAmphibian
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    Environmental_Art591 I think it's time to ask management if you can put in a video doorbell for your safety and peace of mind. If you can, play up the "single mum/SAHM with young child/baby" angle and that having the camera will help you feel safer knowing that there is proof/evidence if anything happens to either of you.
    via u/Environmental_Art591
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    If they still say no, then just get a camera with audio and place it on a bookshelf or hallway table close to the door where it can see and hear everything whenever that door is open. That way, you won't have to remember to record next time.
    via u/Environmental_Art591
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    You could also reach out to your local fire station about what options you have and what they can do to help because ultimately, they will be the ones going in to save you in a fire and it sounds like this couple won't listen until it's affecting them financially.
    via u/Environmental_Art591
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    You could even talk to your local police station and get your side on record just incase anything happens (or if they try to report you for harassment - if the fire marshall talks to them).
    via u/Environmental_Art591
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    waiting_for_letdown NTA, The getting mom on the phone tells you all you need to know about the maturity of a 40 year old person.
    via u/waiting_for_letdown
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    PinkPandaHumor Yeah this "the 40F neighbor rang my doorbell, and proceeded to refuse to speak to me and called her mother." made it very clear that at 40 years old, she is still very immature.
    via u/PinkPandaHumor
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    EwwDavvidd NTA. But I would consider telling the property manager you've been threatened. Of cousin that could escalate and make things worse. But you are being bu ied. I'd try to get out of the lease and move.
    via u/EwwDavvidd
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    MystifiedByPeople My understand of renting properties in NYC is that finding something, anything, is tough, so moving is probably out of the question.
    via u/MystifiedByPeople
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    DastardlyCreepy NTA I thought maybe they lived next door and didnt have space inside. No they live upstairs and dont take it up. I'd have put it on the street, it wouldnt be there long
    via u/DastardlyCreepy
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    FauxeticVRC Nta. Your neighbors are really entitled... No normal person would want to leave their property outside a strangers door for days on end. Consider reporting them again to building management for the confrontation.. this kind of behavior was completely uncalled for.
    via u/FauxeticVRC
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    Fresh_Caramel8148 I'd stop quoting fire code, tbh. Even if it wasn't against code, blocking your door every day is just flipping ride. I would tell them that as you've asked them to stop and they haven't, the next time it's in front of your door, you're putting it outside. And then do it.
    via u/Fresh_Caramel8148
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    Aware_Welcome_8866 LOLOLOL! I'm sorry honey. I'm not laughing at you or an obviously frustrating situation. But the neighbor came to the door to have her mother confront you by phone? Sometimes people are just so unbelievably ridiculous it just makes you laugh. NTA.
    via u/Aware_Welcome_8866

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neighbors toddler crazy things parents say neighborhood-drama bad neighbors apartments stroller entitled Bad Neighbor strollers parents entitled people apartment
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