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John Michael Eskildsen, a Virginia Beach resident, has been accused of racially inappropriate behavior against his neighbors. He has reportedly been terrorizing African-American navy veteran Jannique Martinez and her family for several months.
The former navy officer moved to the Jessamine Court area with her family in 2017. Soon after, the resident next door started harassing the family by blasting loud recordings.
He reportedly installed a motion sensor with flashing lights and offensive sounds outside Martinez’s house to rankle the family.
The issue recently gained mass attention after the ex-navy posted a video documenting the situation. In the viral clip, a sensor can be seen triggering racial slurs and monkey noises indicated towards the family.
What did John Michael Eskildsen do against his neighbors?
In a recent interview with CNN, Jannique Martinez opened up about the harassment caused by John Michael Eskildsen. She mentioned that the noises from the installed motion sensor start playing whenever the family leaves their residence:
“Whenever we would step out of our house, the monkey noises would start. It’s so racist and it’s disgusting.”
She also mentioned that her children are terrified of the man:
“My son is terrified of him. The N-word situation… They came to me and said, ‘Mom, what’s that?’ I didn’t subject my kids to that. I didn’t think they would ever have to learn what this means.”
The family also filed a legal complaint against John, but the Virginia Beach Police Department could not issue a warrant against him and refrained from intervening in the case.
Everything to know about John Michael Eskildsen
John Michael Eskildsen is a 47-year-old man from Virginia Beach, who has been accused of harassing neighbors with his racist behavior. He is currently unemployed and resides in his mother’s house in the Jessamine Court area.
He reportedly married Licudo Gelacion in 1999. The pair share two children together but the kids were solely raised by his wife. He recently made the news after a viral clip documenting his racially inappropriate behavior against Jannique Martinez and her family made the rounds online.
Several other families in the Salem Lakes neighborhood have also filed complaints against the man. Three out of the nine complaints against him were related to parking and traffic, while the remaining were for harassment and nuisance.
John Michael Eskildsen is known in the area for his disappointing public behavior. People have reported that he plays loud music and yells at children who step inside his lawn. He also installed eight security cameras on his property to keep his neighbors under constant surveillance.
The Virginia Beach Police Department has mentioned that even though John Michael Eskildsen’s behavior is “appalling” and “offensive”, it is yet to reach a level that can be defined as “criminal”. As such, no criminal charges have been pressed against the man as of now.
The official statement from authorities has left Jannique Martinez highly disappointed. However, she has joined hands with other neighbors to protest against the man with placards reading "spread love not hate", “love thy neighbor” and “love wins”.
