‘The audacity;’ Topsail Beach homeowner turn trespassing incident into viral AI song
TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. (WWAY) — A Topsail Beach homeowner is turning frustration into humor after a trespassing incident captured on a Ring camera went viral online.
Carrie Stewart said she was stunned when reviewing footage from Sunday afternoon that showed an unidentified man pulling into her driveway, using her outdoor shower and then urinating on her property.
“I’m just like in complete disbelief at what I’m seeing,” Stewart said.
According to Stewart, the incident happened around 3 p.m. while she and her family were running errands. Ring camera footage showed the man arriving in what appeared to be a white Toyota Tacoma before helping himself to the outdoor shower.
“The audacity. This guy came up and is just taking a shower in our shower and then the other thing happened,” Stewart said.
The unusual encounter left Stewart angry and confused.
“I think at the time I was just furious, but at the same time I’m like, ‘Why is this happening?'” she said.
Rather than dwell on the incident, Stewart decided to channel her frustration into a song. Using artificial intelligence, she created a parody track titled “The Tacoma Tinkle Bandit.”
“We were gone for just an hour, and this stranger rolled up in our driveway and helped himself to an outdoor shower,” the song begins.
Stewart posted the song to Facebook, where it quickly gained traction. Since Monday, she said the video has been viewed more than 24,000 times.
“It’s a good way to channel anger, but now I realize too it’s a good way to get your message across,” Stewart said.
Stewart and her husband contacted police Wednesday about the incident. However, she said she does not plan to press charges if the man is identified.
“If he is not aware of the video at this point, when he does become aware — that is the price he pays,” Stewart said.
For now, Stewart said she has left her security alerts activated and hopes the man does not return. Despite the bizarre experience, she said she is glad it has brought some humor to both her family and thousands of people online.
“Even though life is handing out a lot of lemons right now, there’s still humor to be found in things and even like the dumbest things,” Stewart said.