Florida residents raise alarm over well-dressed man with machete knocking on doors at night

‘He seemed very intentional ... like he was dressed for business, just with a machete’

Disturbing surveillance footage that captured a well-dressed man knocking on doors with a machete has left a Florida neighbourhood on edge.

A resident in the Broward County suburb of Lauderhill provided footage to WSVN showing the bald, clean shaven man dressed in a collared shirt, tie and dress pants approach his front door at 5.30am on Monday morning.

The unidentified man raps on the door with the handle of the machete, before walking off – one of several times he was captured approaching homes in the neighbourhood, around 10 miles (16km) west of Fort Lauderdale.

The resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WSVN he initially thought it might have been a solicitor.

“I see some random dude knocking on the door with the back of a machete. Then he just disappears as quick as he came.”

A woman who lives at the same address said they had “no idea” what the man was doing.

“He didn’t seem like someone lost or confused. He seemed very intentional, very business like, like he was dressed for business, just with a machete,” said the woman.

A man wearing a shirt and tie and carrying a machete has been alarming Florida residents (WSVN)

Police in Lauderhill, Florida, have stepped up patrols after a besuited man approached homes armed with a machete (WSVN)

Neighbours reported seeing the man knocking on another door with the machete around the same time early on Monday.

“Yeah, we’re kind of freaked out,” the male resident told WSVN.

The couple reported the incident to Lauderhill Police, who are treating it as suspicious, but haven’t identified that any crimes were committed.

They have stepped up patrols in the area, according to WSVN.

The Independent has approached Lauderhill Police for more information.