ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Residents at a westside Albuquerque apartment complex are cleaning up after a man broke a window, got into an apartment, and broke a pipe in the stairwell – causing the place to flood.

“You know, very unfortunate, that’s a wonderful new development that is showing our commitment to the West Side and to the southwest part of town,” said Mayor Tim Keller. 

People living in that new development are now living in a crime scene.

Albuquerque police were called out to the Nuevo Atrisco Apartments just after 1 a.m Tuesday by a woman hiding in her closet.

According to a criminal complaint, by the time APD arrived, the man was no longer in the woman’s apartment. But the man wasn’t done.

Police say he broke a pipe in a stairwell. Once officers noticed water flowing quickly through the hallway, they called the fire department.

By that time, there was about 2 feet of water in the stairwell.

The man, Andrew Hilgar, was found in the stairwell, appearing to be trapped by the water.

Police were able to arrest Hilgar and charge him with burglary and three counts of criminal damage.

In the complaint, officers mentioned the affordable housing complex has a lot of residents that are elderly or handicapped, and there are many families with small children.

That posed an issue for some residents who weren’t able to leave their homes during the emergency.

Keller says the city plans to hold Hilgar accountable.

“You know, for us, unfortunately, those kinds of things happen, and we never want to see it, but we want to make sure we hold them accountable. And, you know, we’re assuming and hoping the appropriate insurance and indemnification is all there to make sure we get it fixed,” said Keller. 

KOB 4 spoke to a resident who wanted to remain anonymous. She told us security is an issue in the building – people have broken into their cars and the complex has been vandalized in the past.

Andrew Hilgar is expected to be in court Wednesday morning.