Police officers assisted a North Miami man in cleaning up his home Thursday in what officials say is one of the worst cases of hoarding they've ever seen.
Televisions hanging from trees, old tires and bicycles and ancient lawnmowers were just some of the items stacked up at the home.
The home belongs to a man named Jovo Skundric, who's lived there 30 years and managed to accumulate a lot of stuff.
"Everything he found, he collected it and brought it home and it got to the point where it was just too much," Officer Natalie Buissereth said. "The front yard, the backyard, there was only a walkway to get in and out. It was very dangerous for him, very dangerous for the community as a whole."
After years of trying to clean up, North Miami Police stepped in to finish the job Thursday.
"He did a great job but he got to a point, the last time we were here, he says I'm tired, I can't do anymore, I'm old," Buissereth said. "And that's when we decided you know what, we gotta help him out. And that's how we got involved."
Before cleaning crews started getting rid of the junk you could barely walk through the stacks of stuff.
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"It was pretty bad because the backyard was completely full, the front yard was completely full," neighbor Kelly Shannon. "It just got out of control."
Skundric initially collected the items to make some money.
"Everything I pay for. I'm broke now. After 30 years American...but I'm pretty okay with people," he said.
"He wanted to buy it to sell it at the flea market. Right, he says he bought all this stuff thinking he could go to the flea markets on Saturdays and Sunday's and sell the stuff but unfortunately it kind of got out of control," Buissereth said. "He said it was difficult for him to be able to sell them and he just kept saving them because he said he paid good money for it."
The roof of the house was caving in so it was condemned. Skundric has been living elsewhere in the meantime.
"It's bittersweet as he said for himself, because he's attached to these things but you know, we're here to help him out. We want to help him out," Buissereth said.
The stuff being removed will be recycled for the most part.
"I'm so glad that this is happening because it's not like he's a bad person. He's a great man and he needs help," Shannon said.
