The Strangest Things Caught By Ring Doorbells

From men in masks to bandit dogs, we've rounded up some truly peculiar sightings captured by the Ring doorbell.

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A Scary Clown

Do you remember that scary clown trend from a couple years back? “All across the U.S., people were dressing up as clowns and terrorizing all of us. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt by these evil-looking clowns, but they certainly left a terrifying impression,” says a blogger for Ring. “Ring homes weren’t immune from the craze, and we caught one sneaking around a house in Toledo. We’re not sure if this was staged or not, but it was definitely a scary sight.” This one is equally bizarre!

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A Clumsy and Curious Bear

This bear was caught by a Ring camera knocking over decorations outside the front door of a family home. The bear even walked up to the doorbell and used its nose to ring it! When the homeowner answered, he stated “Bear, go away!” and eventually the furry creature complied. Make sure you know the 50 places thieves will never look in your home as you set up a home security camera.

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A Wreath Thief

How low can you go? This thief apparently has no shame as she snatches the wreath off the door and runs away. According to the resident, the wreath that was stolen was valued at $300. Is there a black market for wreathes?!

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A Man Licking Doorbell

On January 8, 2019, a man in Salinas, CA, spent three hours licking a doorbell in the middle of the night. The man was also caught moving an extension cord in the front yard and relieving himself on camera. “You kind of laugh about it afterwards because, technically, he didn’t harm anybody, he didn’t break anything,” homeowner Sylvia Dungan told ABC.

Beef up your home security with these three tips on how to reinforce your door.

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A Recurring Masked Man

“Finding a masked man at your front door in the middle of the night can be pretty scary, but when that man returns to your home three times in one week, it’s downright frightening,” a blogger for Ring explains. This is what happened to a family in Milford, CT. After just a couple days into their vacation more than100 miles away from their home, Ring alerted them that a masked man was at their front door.

Though he couldn’t break-in, he returned a few days later. Despite the family sending the videos to police and local news stations, the man returned again! This time, however, he was arrested. Save money on a home security system by installing it yourself. Here’s how.

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A Creepy Figure

A man watching TV in his basement receiving an alert that someone was at his door. He checked his Ring app to find a figure moving just off camera. The man tried to communicate with the figure, but it wouldn’t respond, or show its face. Then, suddenly, it did! “Oh my god, it’s a spider,” the resident said. He then explained he thought the spider had been a man hiding from the camera. These 15 tips will help you keep your tools from getting lifted.

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A Smiling Salesman That Becomes a Fugitive Felon

In the screen capture of this man, he looks harmless in his business attire and with a big smile. However, there’s a much darker side. “The ‘visitor’ is Joseph Ramos, and when he came to this homeowner’s door in San Diego, he was wanted for at least 19 home burglaries in surrounding communities,” Ring explains. “The homeowner was able to see past his friendly demeanor and felt it was suspicious. And when the video was shared with police, they immediately identified Ramos and went on a manhunt.” Here are 11 home security mistakes that put you at risk.

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A Slithering Surprise

Allison Keller checked the doorbell camera of her Texas home to find quite the disturbing sight! Believed to be a rat snake, it repeatedly slithered along the woman’s front door, in an attempt to get inside. Thankfully, it never did.

If you purchase a surveillance camera, here’s how to install it outdoors.

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A Stranger Wanting to Smash Everything

It’s scary enough to have a suspicious stranger at your front door, but it’s even worse to have an intoxicated person trying to kick in your door! Andrew, a homeowner in Sacramento, CA, saw just that when he answered a Ring notification while at work. He politely asked the stranger to leave his yard, but the man replied by saying he was “going to smash what’s in there.” Thankfully, the police arrived a few minutes later. Installation of the Ring doorbell is easy, and the device comes with everything you need but a drill.

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An Unexpected Thief

A missing package from your front door step can typically be attributed to a human, but not this time! Ring caught a dog wandering up to a neighbor’s home and stumbling upon an Amazon package. The pup pranced off, its tail wagging happily.

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Raining Cats

Cats are graceful creatures, capable of landing on their feet despite high jumps and unsuspected stumbles. That’s why it’s always so shocking when you see a cat lose its footing! This Ring camera caught two cats falling off the roof in the least graceful manner, giving new meaning to the term “it’s raining cats.” Speaking of cats, have you seen the deluxe cat furniture that is available for pampered felines? Check this out!

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A Smart Kiddo

This kid was fed up with his mother talking to a neighbor. All he wanted to do was go home and watch the “kid channel.” He went to his front door and called for his dad through the Ring camera. His dad was more than happy to see his son and offer a little IT assistance. Check out 11 more strange things caught on home security cameras.

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Alexa Erickson
Alexa Erickson is an experienced lifestyle writer who has contributed to Family Handyman, Reader's Digest, Martha Stewart, Bob Vila and Thrillist. She’s written more than 50 articles for Family Handyman on a range of topics, including home design, DIY home improvement projects, and storage and organization. Additionally, she runs her own website, Living by Lex, where she writes about home decor, travel, tech and more.