Man found living in ceiling of Fernley Raley’s

FERNLEY, Nev. (KOLO) - The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after he was found living in the ceiling of the Raley’s grocery store in Fernley.

Sgt. Dan Lynch tells KOLO 8 News Now, 35-year-old Matthew Hammar had fallen through the tile in the ceiling and had crawled back into the crawlspace while employees were preparing to open the store just after 5 a.m. on September 30, 2020.

Employees called authorities who surrounded the store. After a while, they got him to come outside and he was arrested for commercial burglary.

Authorities said Hammar had been living in area above the deli for at least a couple of days, and had been stealing food from the store. They say they found some of his property in the rafters.

The sheriff’s office said Hammar is homeless and has had run-ins with deputies in the past.