When 28-year-old graphic designer Claire Whitman checked into a charming Airbnb in upstate New York, she was expecting peace, quiet, and maybe a few cozy fireplace selfies. What she got instead was a viral nightmare.
On her second night, Claire noticed something strange about the tall mirror in the bedroom. It wasn’t just cracked—it was wobbling slightly, almost like it wasn’t properly attached to the wall. Out of curiosity, she pressed her palm against it.
It moved.
Behind the mirror was a hidden crawlspace—just wide enough for a person to fit inside.
What she found inside still haunts her:
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A dirty mattress
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A small video monitor
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An extension cord
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And dozens of screenshots taped to the wall—images of her, from earlier that same day, taken inside the Airbnb.
Claire fled and called the police immediately.
Upon investigation, officers discovered that the hidden space had been used recently. The power was still running to the monitor, which was connected to tiny, nearly invisible cameras installed in the bedroom and bathroom. Investigators believe the setup had been active for at least two years.
Even more disturbing?
The property owner wasn’t the one who installed it.
Police arrested a former maintenance worker who had made copies of the property’s keys and secretly accessed the house between bookings. He had been watching guests in real-time, recording their private moments from inside the walls.
Claire has since gone public with her story on TikTok, where it’s racked up over 12 million views in just four days. Users are now demanding stricter regulations on vacation rentals—and sharing their own terrifying experiences.
“If I hadn’t pushed the mirror, I’d never have known,” Claire said in a follow-up video. “I was being watched. Every moment I thought I was alone—I wasn’t.”
