Police arrested a man for trespassing inside Taylor Swift's New York apartment building on Saturday, April 17, according to a criminal complaint obtained by E! News.
Authorities arrested and charged Hanks Johnson, 52, with criminal trespassing around 9 p.m. after an officer found him inside the lobby of the Swift's Franklin Street residence, beyond the locked doors. When the officer asked Johnson why he was inside, he responded, "I'm here to see [Swift], she knows that I'm coming here, we're friends," according to the complaint.
James McNelis, who is identified in the complaint as Swift's head of security, said the superstar did not invite Johnson and he didn't have permission to be in the building. It's unclear if she was in New York at the time.
Per the complaint, McNelis said he has seen Johnson outside of her Manhattan apartment complex at least five times in the last six months, claiming he has rung the door bell and tried to enter the building before. The security guard said he personally told Johnson that he cannot be outside the entrance of the building or ring the bell, and he told him that he is not welcome at the building.
Judge Jay Weiner ordered Johnson to receive supervised release, and his next court date is June 1, the Manhattan District Attorney told E! News.
Swift has been the target of numerous alleged stalkers throughout her career, and even used facial-recognition cameras at her Reputation stadium tour to try to apprehend them.
In 2019, a 22-year-old man, Roger Alvarado, was reportedly sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to attempted burglary of Swift's NYC home. The year prior, another man, Mohammed Jaffar, plead guilty to attempted burglary in the second degree and received a six-month jail sentence.
Swift recently appeared remotely on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and, the day after the trespassing incident, she tweeted that she had "been in the studio all day" recording more music, without indicating whether she was writing new songs or re-recording another one of her old albums. The Grammy winner released Fearless (Taylor's Version) earlier this month.