Do talk to the management, and your neighbors (might be a good chance to meet them, you’d be doing them a favor giving them a heads-up).
Beaming calming vibes your way…
May you be so calm about it that you can have the Secret Agent theme running through your head… “Creepy Neighhh-bor Man…”
I’m sorry. I did not mean to imply all mental illness patients were dangerous.
(Heck, I suffer from my own stuff) Some are, though. Especially those not on their meds.
OP- get some help with this. You shouldn’t have to live like that.
Good luck.
Either that or tell him that you have some terrible infectious disease and he should cover his nose and mouth or else he may catch what you have.
If that doesn’t sit well with you, maybe you can come up with something similar that will make him think twice? I just woke up and so my brain isn’t working very well now. But I certainly hope you will find a way to deal with this person.
She shouldn’t engage with this person at all.
Do not talk to him at all. If you can, be on the phone with someone every time you leave or enter your apartment. Tell the managers and the police.
I had a similar situation when I worked in rental property management and a tenant thought he and I should get together. I told him to leave me alone and when he didn’t, I had the cops talk to him and took out a restraining order.
That ended it.
That is a good idea. I can’t see his sister’s door from my window, since we’re in the same building (she’s just way further down than I am). Our building is basically split up into two sections. Each section has it’s own stairwell and key. I can’t get into hers with my key and she can’t get into mine with hers. That said, the front door of my building is almost consistently broken. Sometimes I can pull it shut, but most of the time it isn’t actually closed securely. This is why my parents worry about dropping me off, and tell me to let them know I made it in okay.
Management has attempted to fix it several times before. It’s definitely time to raise the issue again. Maybe they’ll need to replace the door entirely.
One other thing… I also can’t see out the peephole of my apartment door without stepping on something. It’s too high up. I have a stair stepper I’ve pulled over and used, but if someone suddenly started pounding on my door or something, I wouldn’t quickly be able to see who it was. My dad has recommended asking if they’ll either replace the door with a lower peephole, or install a chain lock for safety. I never took up the issue with them, as until this week, I honestly wasn’t ever worried for my safety at the apartment. Maybe that’s something else to bring up as well.
That is so fucking weird. I did have a random woman and a friend (I think it was two people - maybe three) ask me for a ride before. My car was heating up and they met me outside when I went out to it. I refused. For the record, it wasn’t absolutely freezing that day, and there are places nearby they could duck into while waiting for a ride (like a Dairy Queen). I told them I was in a rush and couldn’t do it. They argued a little, then dropped it.
Well now I know what I’ll be humming the rest of the day…
Thank you for the calming vibes!
I must admit you are almost certainly right about that. Sorry.
TBF, I absolutely appreciate your creativity
I agree with the others who think this guy has a mental problem, and that means he probably isn’t very quick on the uptake in terms of interpreting your tone or body language. From what you wrote, you have yet to firmly state to him that you want him to leave you alone. He might not even realize the stress you are under. So, I think you should make a firm statement to him. That lays it on the line. If he continues, then the situation is escalated to the point where you can file a complaint and say that you clearly and firmly asked him to leave you alone and he did not.
They don’t need to replace the door, they can just drill a hole for a second peephole. It would cost like $10 for the new peephole and would take a handyman about 5 minutes to install it. You should definitely ask them to do this.
Not all mentally ill people are dangerous, but this guy is a creep whether he’s mentally healthy or not.
Regards,
Shodan
Agreed. I’ve had a former neighbor who was obnoxious and was on, well, *something *(heard him explain to a cop who told him to turn down his music that, yes, he was on something, but no, he doesn’t remember what it does or what it’s called). He acted extremely peculiar, and was eventually evicted for having so many complaints, and even **he **failed to give me the heebie-jeebies like this guy does.
Honestly, I don’t really get a ‘mentally ill’ feeling from the guy featured in this post. At least not in any way that would stand out. I get a ‘socially awkward and completely oblivious’ vibe from him more than anything else. I don’t *think *he realizes how uncomfortable he is making me, although that doesn’t mean that, if I confront him, he can’t suddenly turn dangerous or escalate, which is namely why I don’t plan on doing so. So many people who turned out to be dangerous didn’t initially appear that way.
He’s bigger than you and not respecting common boundaries or observing clear nonverbal signals. Why should YOU have to deal with HIS issues? He is not behaving respectfully to you. You are not his guardian.
You are your own guardian. This is a basic human right. Call the non-emergency number.
Do you have your own wifi? I can recommend a simple cheap security camera.
Do people ever analyze “not all” statements? “Not all” is saying most are. And in fact, most “mentally ill” people are more likely to be victimized than victimizers.
Then…
Also…
My sympathies to OP.
Thank you so much for the kind words <3
I do have my own wifi. While I don’t think keeping a security camera is ever a bad idea, I’m not sure how much a camera would help me in this specific case. All of our interactions have been outside my apartment building, on the narrow street/drive that separates the buildings. It’s where most of us have to park and is unavoidable (likewise, there’s no back entrance/exit from my building. Only the one door that leads directly to the street). Can I get a camera and aim it out the window? I suppose there isn’t really any difference between that and a doorbell camera, or any other camera you’d find on someone’s property, right? I’ll look through my lease and see if they say anything about cameras as well.
I’d very much appreciate your recommendation, as I have no idea where to start, lol 
Thank you.
In general, home security cameras need to be mounted outdoors as they do not function well when indoors and aimed out through a window.
The best thing for the OP would be concerned and active apartment management and a responsive police department. Report and document, while taking adequate security precautions* (being seen with a burly friend wouldn’t be a bad idea). And if the situation seems to be degenerating into determined stalking, be prepared to move. 
*recalling a recent episode on Investigation Discovery, in which a young woman was being stalked by a next door neighbor who did things like stationing a chair outside his door to watch her comings and goings, scrawling messages on her door about the need to Repent and leaving piles of gifts on her front stoop. This woman left her keys in her open apartment door while she went out to her car to get stuff, and when she came back to her apartment the keys were gone. Did she 1) make an emergency call to a locksmith to get her lock re-keyed, 2) get the cops to come over while she hauled emergency supplies out to her car and got a room elsewhere for the night prior to changing the lock, or 3) say to herself oh well, guess the keys got lost somehow and forget about the incident.
Yes, she chose option #3. It did not end well, though she lived and the stalker did not.
Not to be alarmist, but basic awareness and good security are important.
Ay caramba! When I was first on my own after college, there was a guy who was raping/murdering women in my area. Every time I got groceries, I would lock the apt. door if I needed to go back to the car to bring more groceries in. Good thing - when they caught him, found out his MO was to follow a lone shopper from the grocery store* to their destination, then sneak in to the woman’s residence when they went out on their second trip.
That’s the grocery store he was working out of.