As a major global pop star, Taylor Swift has dealt with her fair share of stalkers and obsessive fans. Some are so aggressive they warrant five-year restraining orders; others, however, such as Richard J. McEwan, are curiously polite. Last Friday, the 26 year old reportedly broke into Swift’s Rhode Island mansion, but made sure to take off his shoes.
McEwan drove about 200 miles from his New Jersey town of Milford to Swift’s beachfront home in Westerly, RI. He broke in by shattering a glass door and then took off his shoes as a courtesy to the “ME!” singer.
“McEwan later told investigators he took off his orange shoes when he got inside because he was taught it was polite to remove shoes when a guest in someone’s home,” NJ.com report. He proceeded to wander about the seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home before the police arrived, responding to a triggered motion-detector alarm.
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According to officials, McEwan looked for Swift, but didn’t intend on hurting anyone. He also wasn’t carrying any weapons. McEwan is reportedly the third individual this summer to attempt to break into the Westerly property, but only the first to actually physically make it inside.
McEwan has since been charged with breaking and entering and willful trespassing. He’s currently out on the streets after posting a $5,000 bond.
Because of her long list of stalkers, Swift reportedly began implementing facial recognition technology at her concerts. Earlier this year, she spoke at length about how she’s struggled to overcome her fear of stalkers and random acts of violence,
“After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months. There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe. My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things. Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed and the faith I have in humanity. We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.
Swift recently released Lover, her new album and first since leaving longtime label Big Machine.
