Please Help Brian Following an Armed Home Invasion !!

Trigger Warning: Weapons, Home Invasion, Homelessness, PTSD

Introduction:

Hello! My name is Noah Reisman, and I am attempting to raise money to help support my brother Brian Seager after he was robbed at gunpoint and forced out of his Hamilton apartment. There is an active police investigation regarding this crime and therefore, I hope that you can appreciate the fact that I am limited in how detailed I can be when describing the incident. Regardless, this is a very sensitive time for my family, and we sincerely appreciate you showing your support in any way possible (ie. donating money, sharing this fundraiser, or simply sharing words of encouragement).

Background:

To preface, Brian moved to Hamilton in Spring of 2022 after briefly experiencing homelessness. Brian has struggled financially ever since my father passed away in 2019 and our family struggled to make ends meet. After his car broke down, he did not have the financial means to find a new one and pay rent; thus, costing him a lot of money to commute to/from work. As we all know, the cost of living has sky-rocketed and it is extremely difficult to pay rent, buy groceries, commute to/from work, etc... all on your own. Therefore, Brian was late on one rent payment due to not having the money. As a result, the landlord dropped off a letter stating she intends to evict him.

Description of Emergency:

Later that same evening (June 1st, 2024), 6 men with ski masks and guns climbed 3 flights of stairs on Brian's fire escape and unlocked his backdoor (which Brian does not even have a key for) to invade his apartment. The assailants held a gun to his head and stated, "we will shoot you if you don't listen to us", before making him sit on the floor. The men began stealing every valuable possession that Brian owned (ie. his cellphone, wallet, TV, PS5, cologne, his passport, wristwatches, work laptop, and even his prescription medications). This entire altercation consisted of one of the men holding Brian at gunpoint while the others made remarks such as "you think you can take advantage of an old lady and not pay your rent". Once the men finished taking every valuable to their vehicle, one of the men made a call to an unknown person. The man stated, "we dealt with the situation" and asked Brian "what are you gonna do?" while holding the phone out to Brian for an answer. Brian repeated numerous times that he will leave. The men then instructed Brian to "leave, get on a bus and take it to the end of the line and never come back". Brian followed these instructions despite having no ID or money to pay for the bus, before asking a stranger to call his friend; who immediately called the police. (Brian didn't call the police himself because the assailants threatened "we know where you work and where your family live - if you call the police, we'll kill them all").

A mere 2 days after this event took place, I drove down to Hamilton as I have a spare key to Brian's apartment. Brian and I went to retrieve what little number of belongings remain in the apartment. It was to our dismay that we found all of his belongings in clear trash bags on the front porch of the small building he lived in, as well as all of the locks to the apartment being changed. After getting the police to break down the door, some of his furniture remained in the apartment, but it was thoroughly cleaned (as if getting ready to rent out to someone new).

At this time, we are suspecting that the landlord hired these individuals to commit this heinous crime in order to illegally evict him from his apartment, however, cannot share any additional information due to the ongoing investigation.

Current Circumstances:

As of right now, Brian is staying with a very generous friend and has been living off his small income and whatever financial support those around him can provide. Brian is struggling immensely with regard to his mental health and has developed PTSD from this experience. I have helped him acquire new ID and a few toiletries, but otherwise, he has nothing.

Purpose of Fundraising:

All funds raised will be put towards hiring a lawyer to assist in the ongoing litigation process following this unfortunate crime. In addition, as a result of not feeling safe to return to his apartment, these funds will help Brian to find and pay for first and last month's rent for a new apartment. Any additional funds would be put towards basic life necessities (ie. food, toiletries, moving fees, and eventually furniture).

I, and the rest of my family, immensely appreciate your support in this matter. From taking the time to read the details surrounding this frightening and devastating incident, to sharing this fundraiser, donating money, or simply providing some heartfelt messages; it means the world to us!

Now let's all pitch in to help Brian recover from this horrific event and secure stable housing. Thanks everyone! <3