(KVIA-TV)
A half-naked man living in a cave in a canyon outside El Paso, Texas, scared a group of hikers on Sunday when they say he jumped out of the cave and chased them away.
Residents of an apartment complex at the foot of McKelligon Canyon say the man has been living in the cave for about three years. He has been spotted bathing in their laundry room and working out on a jungle gym. Some suspect he's been stealing their clothes.
"Normally, he's like wandering around," one resident told ABC's KVIA-TV affiliate. "We never know what time he's going to show."
One of the hikers who was initially chased away returned to the cave and spoke with the man, capturing footage on his cellphone. The cave dweller defended his right to live in the cave and disputed the claims by locals.
"As you can see from the water on the floor over there, that's where I just bathed," the man said, declining to give his name.
More from KVIA-TV's report:
He said the snakes in the tin nearby were for the animals in the mountain and not his own food.
"From the dumpster buffets and the fast food joints," he said of how he gets his food. "I'm a plasma donor. I'm not dying of anything, I'm drug-free and disease-free. God has blessed me with very good health."
The man said he's not hurting anyone and lives off donations and recycling cans.
"What is my crime? You ask my good neighbors, most of them help me," he said before dismissing those who complain about him as busybodies. "I'm sin-free in every city. I'm baptized and saved. They need to worry about their own selves, to repent and help the community more."