A Florida man suspicious about chemical smells in his home that appeared to be making his infant sick installed a camera to see if he could suss out what was going on—and now his neighbor is accused of being the cause. NBC News reports that 36-year-old Xuming Li, a former chemistry PhD student at the University of South Florida, has been arrested and charged after Umar Abdullah's hidden camera caught a man believed to be Li appearing to inject something out of a syringe and under the door of the condo he shares with his wife and 10-month-old baby.
WFLA reports that Abdullah and his wife moved into the third-floor condo in June 2022, and they welcomed their daughter later that year. Soon after the baby arrived, Li and Abdullah became embroiled in a texting war, with Li complaining that the Abdullahs, who lived above him, were making too much noise. The noises Li was upset about apparently didn't have anything to do with the baby per se, but were noises you'd expect to hear from everyday living—"a vacuum running, a toilet seat closing, a dresser drawer opening," notes the New York Times. When Li wrote to the condo association to complain about the noises, the association told him that it wasn't unusual to hear such routine sounds and that he should be a bit more understanding.
Then, in May, while Abdullah and his family were away, a friend collecting a package at the condo noticed a strong smell that made her eyes burn. When the Abdullahs returned, the chemical smells continued, leading to headaches, skin and eye irritation, hair loss, and shortness of breath; their baby also experienced coughing fits and vomiting. No one could determine the source of the odor—not a plumber, AC repairperson, or the local fire department. That's when Abdullah decided to install a hidden camera and says he spotted Li in the footage on June 27, crouching down in front of his front door and inserting something from a syringe through a crack.
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Per a Tampa Police Department affidavit, testing found that the injected chemicals included methadone and hydrocodone, both opioid narcotics. Li was arrested that same day. "Even during war, the worst enemies do not attack the opponent, the other party, with chemicals," Abdullah tells WFLA. Li has been charged with felony aggravated stalking, dispersing a chemical agent, and possession of a controlled substance, as well as with battery on a law enforcement officer for exposing that officer to the chemicals. He has been released on bond, with his next hearing set for early December. "All the facts will come out in due time," Li's attorney tells the Times, which notes that Li has pleaded not guilty. (More chemicals stories.)
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