My stalker ex-boyfriend was about to break into my apartment when I got a call from a stranger

This is a long story, so bear with me. My stalker ex-boyfriend used to work across the street from me. It was 2007 and I was working in a very nice high-rise in Manhattan. I had broken up with him a year before but he never left me alone. One day, I had a meeting at 4pm, and as I was leaving, he was standing across the street. I waved at him and said hi, thinking he was just back from a trip and I hadn't seen him in a while. He started running towards me and grabbed my hand, then started pulling me towards him. I pulled my hand away and started running towards the subway, but then he was behind me. I had to take 4 blocks to get to the subway, and by the time I got to the entrance he was behind me. He grabbed me and I was screaming, and somehow a taxi driver pulled up and said, "Hey, you okay? You look like you're in trouble!" And I was shaking and crying and couldn't even tell him what was happening, but he just took me away and drove me home. So, my ex-boyfriend started showing up at my apartment all the time. At first I thought maybe he was trying to make amends, but after a few months I started getting texts from unknown numbers like "If I can't have you, no one can" and "I'll never leave you alone" and "I hope you die alone." So I moved. I had some money put away and I wanted to live in the suburbs for a while. I found a place in Brooklyn and moved out, and I told my friends where I was going to be living. So, I had been living in Brooklyn for about six months and things were going well. I was working part time at a restaurant and freelancing and spending time with my friends. So, one night I'm out with my friends at this bar in the city and I get a text from a stranger saying, "I just saw your friend [friend's name] at the bar where you were just at. And I saw you just moved to Brooklyn and I thought I'd tell you, I live there too, so maybe you've seen me. Let me know if you want to meet up sometime." And I thought, "Oh cool, maybe we'll be friends!" But then I told my friend that night, and she was like, "Uh-uh, that was your ex-boyfriend." So I texted back, "Thanks for telling me where I live and that I moved to Brooklyn. I'm never going to see you again, so don't bother coming to my apartment again." And then, I didn't hear from him again for a long time. Then, a few months later, I started noticing a guy outside my apartment building. I live in a five-story walk-up, so there was always a guy outside my building. He was always there, but he looked like a normal guy, just someone who worked around there or something. So, I was at my apartment one day at noon and I looked out the window and there was this guy just standing there. And then he looked up and smiled at me, but I didn't smile back and he walked away. Then, a few days later I saw him again and he didn't smile at me, he just walked away. And then I started thinking about how weird it was to have a guy just hanging around outside my apartment. Then one day I was at the gym in the city and I started to feel like I was being watched. I looked around, and then I started thinking about that guy outside my apartment. So, I left the gym and got in a cab, and as the cab is driving I looked at my phone to see if I had any messages, and I saw one from the stranger from a few months before, saying, "I saw you at the gym, I was hoping to see you." And I was like, "Holy shit, it's my ex-boyfriend!" I told the driver to take me home and I immediately called my friends and told them what was happening and that I was scared and didn't want to be alone. They were like, "Don't be alone, stay with us," so I went to one of my friend's houses, which was only a few blocks away. Then, I got a call from my landline, and it was the stranger from a few months before. He was like, "I know you're scared, I'm sorry I've scared you. But I just want to tell you that I'm not going to hurt you." And I was like, "That's really nice of you, but I think you should leave me alone now." Then he said, "I'm going to leave your apartment now." And I was like, "What? Why?" And he said, "Because I just took your key and I don't want to break anything." And I was like, "Oh my god, no! Don't go in there! Call the cops! Call the cops! Call the cops! Call the cops! Call the cops! Call the cops! Call the cops!" But my phone died and I didn't have any money on my phone, so I ran to the nearest payphone and called the cops. They came and got there and when they opened the door they found my key on the ground. But when they went in, the guy was gone. I never heard from him again, but I moved back to the city after that, and I still live here. And I have a few security guards outside my building now. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>TLDR; I moved to the suburbs after my stalker ex-boyfriend started showing up at my apartment all the time. But he was able to find me in Brooklyn too, and then a stranger called me while I was out with my friends, which I later found out was him. I didn't hear from him again for months, but then I started seeing a guy outside my apartment, and I realized it was him, and he started leaving me messages again. Luckily, I got a call from him just before he broke into my apartment, and I was able to call the cops and they came and got there before he did.