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New York man found naked in children's closet after breaking into apartment, officials say

PIERMONT, N.Y. — A New York man is accused of breaking into a Rockland County family's apartment and hiding naked in the children's closet, prosecutors said.

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Brian Bates, 48, of Piermont, was indicted Monday on one count ​​of burglary in the second degree, a class C felony, according to acting Rockland County District Attorney Kevin P. Gilleece.

If convicted, Bates could spend 15 years in state prison, WPIX reported.

According to prosecutors, Bates unlawfully entered the Piermont apartment by removing a screen in the back of the apartment and was seen walking into it naked, the North Orange Daily Voice reported. Bates lives at the same apartment complex, according to WPIX,

Two neighbors, Keah Larsen and her husband, told WNBC they saw Bates in the apartment and called the police.

"My husband comes down like a cannon shot out of the building saying, 'I think he's in the apartment downstairs,'" Larsen told the television station.

Police officers found Bates hiding naked in a closet in the bedroom belonging to the children of the family, WPIX reported. He was arrested and taken to the Rockland County Jail.

Catherine Graham, who lives in the apartment where Bates was allegedly found, said she had hardly ever talked to Bates.

"It's terrifying. I just hope he ends up staying in jail and not getting out again," Graham told WNBC.