People Who've Escaped An Attempted Kidnapping Explain How They Got Away
There are a variety of ordeals many of us will have a chance to experience, and in the best circumstances that can be a good thing. Case in point: the harrowing experiences the following people went through to survive being kidnapped.
Reddit user, u/DirrtCobain, wanted to hear about:
[Serious] Redditors who've escaped an attempted kidnapping, what happened?
Ahh, Nothing Like The American Justice System
I was held hostage by an escaped prisoner once. After 7 or 8 hours I rushed him and got shot in the forearm. The guy freaked out and started crying and I talked him into surrendering himself. When we went into the police station I was charged with 'harbouring an escaped convict'- no idea why. It was eventually thrown out of court.
Always Run And Get An Adult, If Applicable
When I was nine I was in the front yard of our house by my self. A lady in a white minivan pulled up and asked if I had seen a small white dog. I said no. Then she asked if I wanted to help her find her dog and said I could sit in the front seat. I said I would ask my mom and ran inside. When me and my mom came back outside she was gone. My mom was really happy that I came to ask her first and I got a milkshake.
What's The Point Of Escaping?
When I was three my stay at home mother bailed with some guy and left brother at a neighbors. My dad got home from work and found a note that she left explaining everything. A few months later she returned and wanted to see my brother and I. Dad wouldn't let her. Eventually he relented and agreed to let her take us to the part. She kidnapped us and went into hiding for six months. My dad finally found us. After a year of custody hearings they awarded her custody, f-ck me.
Trust Your Gut
I was at my Nana's playing on a swing in a tree when the neighbors son poked his head out and started talking to me. I was 6 so didn't think anything of it. Then he tells me he has a late birthday present for me in the house. I being the curious 6 year old went with him.
His hand was on my shoulder leading me in. I was one step inside when my gut started screaming at me. I didn't know what it was at the time but it was so strong it was like a voice in my ear yelling "DANGER RUN DANGER"
I tried to leave but his hand was still on my shoulder he tightened his grip and so I did the thing that I remembered made my dad stop play fighting with me. I raised my arm and jerked it back as hard as I could. I hit him in the junk. He dropped and I bolted to my Nana's house and told them what happened.
THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME (my mom did later she wasn't there at that time) told me "oh he wouldn't do that" or "You misunderstood the situation"
Good Advice For How To Handle This Situation
In 2008 I was 15(F) walking home with a 14yr old female friend. In a "rich" town. I moved a lot and mostly lived in bad areas except my 8th grade year, in this town, so I was always aware of my surroundings. I noticed a rusted red truck that I'd seen a while ago. I kept an eye on it and told my friend we should make turns that didn't make sense, like going in a circle.
After walking a few more blocks it was behind us again so I knew [were] being followed. We had to go down an ally off the main road to get home. The two Hispanic men,30-40s said "hey" and we took off running behind a nearby house. Hoping they'd think it was our home and leave.
After a minute we didn't hear the truck running, so we sprinted towards my house. They must've parked near by bc they were chasing us, we were so close to my apartment complex they couldn't catch up so we got inside, locked the doors, called the cops and my mom. We were holding kitchen knives till my mom got home (cops didn't take it serious enough to rush over) they didn't file a report and thought we were "imagining it" my mom was furious.
I'll never forget years later after another moved, I was a jr in HS and saw pictures of theirs faces and the description of the red truck on the news one night, wanted for kidnapping, never heard of an arrest though. Wish the officers took down my report that day.
That Seems Like A Reasonable Response
I accepted a ride outside of a bar around two AM. I may have been heavily under the influence. When I realized that he was going in the wrong direction, I pointed it out. He said that it was an accident. I told him to take the next right. He took a left and stopped responding to me. So I did what I thought was a reasonable response.
I pulled a knife on him and told him to pull over. I got out and walked home where I joked about it with my roommates.
Once I sobered up the next day i realized how many points in that night could have ended terribly for me.
I also should have noticed it was a windowless van before I jumped in. How I survived my twenties is a mystery.
Thank God For Steve's Friends
I can't say for certain this was an attempted kidnapping but it freaked the f*ck outta me as a child. I was visiting the West Edmonton Mall with my parents and God-parents and their older son Steve. This was the mid-eighties and I was 10.
The adults left me with Steve (he was about 15 or 16) and went off to do their own thing for the day. Steve was stuck chaperoning me through the mall. He met up with 3 of his buddies. I remember one of the whispering about ditching me so they could smoke and chase girls. Steve wouldn't let them, his parents would have killed him. So they were stuck with me and I was bored as hell they dragged me through all the teen 'cool' shops. I was basically trailing after them. They didn't want to be seen with this little kid and didn't really want much to do with me.
In one store I started feeling like I was being watched. I turned around and this middle aged dude was staring at me with this creepy smile. We went to a few more stores. He kept following me. I was starting to get scared but I didn't want to say anything to Steve and his buddies cause I thought they'd make fun of me. I told the guys I needed to use the washroom. I figured the creepy guy would get bored and leave me alone.
I was wrong. He followed me into the bathroom and stood outside the stall staring through the crack! I was freaking out. Fortunately one of Steve's friends came into the washroom. I don't know if he noticed something was weird when the guy followed me into the bathroom or if there was another reason he came in. But thank god he did. There was a hushed confrontation outside the stall and the creep left. After that the guys literally circled up around me and we spent the rest of the day with me in the middle and all of them with their heads on a swivel.
When marriages or relationships fall apart, infidelity is not always the cause.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Liam_Tang asked:
"People who've divorced, aside from adultery, what were the irreconcilable differences that ended the marriage?"

You think you know a person when you walk down the aisle.
These Redditors were in for a rude awakening.
Pet Neglect
"My wife divorced her ex for many reasons, but the final straw was when she went out of town for a few days, and when she got back he had not fed or given water to the dog. The dog lived a long and happy life after that."
– StrangeCrimes
Obsessed With A Crush
"Not me, but I had an old coworker that divorced his wife for spending their entire savings on candy crush and games of the same type."
– Hexis40
Compatibility Musts
"ITT: Intimacy (sex/romance), beliefs (religion/spirituality/politics), kids, and I haven’t seen it yet but it’s coming: finances."
"The big four. You REALLY need to discuss these things in detail BEFORE getting married."
– rabbiskittles
Physical violence is a legit reason for people to peace out of a relationship.
The Flattening
"She threatened to hit me with a hammer."
– michaelrohansmith
Hitting The Bottle
"She became an abusive alcoholic. It was sad but I had to get out."
– diegojones4
Emotional pain is too damaging to recover from.
Truth Hurts
"She told me as we stood in front of the judge ending our 7 year marriage, 'I never loved you, I just wanted kids.'"
– Pinch_Dogs
Can't Fix Angry
"She was beautiful/smart but an angry angry person. I thought I could be sweet to her and 'fix' that. Heh. She kicked the crap out of me emotionally. Wife II has been a walk in the roses for 32 years now :)"
– lowlandr
A change of heart is worthless if comes too late.
"We Could've Had A Nice Marriage
"He could not understand that my wants and needs were as important as his wants and needs. We tried to make it work for 7 years. During that time, for things that were really important to me, I tried explaining logically, asking nicely, begging, crying, yelling, passive aggressiveness... cycled back through all of these options multiple times."
"(If I knew something was important to him, I would do that. For example, he was really into sports, so I went to all his events, even though that is not at all my thing.) When I finally threw up my hands and told him it was time to get a divorce, he suddenly panicked and said 'What can I do? Do you want me to do half the chores? I'll do it! Do you want me to get a job? I'll do it! Do you want me to buy you presents for your birthday? I'll do it!'"
"So, in other words, he could have been doing that all along, but just couldn't be bothered. That made me so angry. We could have had a nice marriage that we both enjoyed, but no, by the time he saw the light, that ship had sailed."
"We are both happily remarried now (to different people) and I joke that his new wife owes me a thank you note. It was his experience with me that taught him to listen to her and take her needs seriously."
– Bluebird-True
"What Can I Do?"
"My ex was exactly like this. I didn't marry him but when I told him let's break up, he went all like, what can I do? Let's get engaged, let's look at houses, etc. Basically all the pre-marriage topics that we should be discussing about after being together for 7 years."
"I got so angry and straight up told him it's too late... I don't need you anymore."
– gudetarako
As much as a couple wants to stay together, unforeseen circumstances can eventually tear people apart.
Very few people can maintain healthy long-distance relationships.
When a new job opportunity takes a significant other away, would you begrudge them for wanting a better position to earn more money? Or is it better for them to reluctantly turn down the opportunity so they could stay with you? Do either scenarios breed resentment?
These were questions I've often asked myself with past relationships, and my answers varied depending on the person I was with.
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Childhood can seem like a magical time.
Anything is possible.
But that magic doesn't always make it to adulthood.
Redditor tobybarron16 asked:
"What strange abilities did you have as a child that you have since lost?"
Teleportation
"I could teleport. I fell asleep in the car and woke up in my bed."
- mightaswellgiveup87
Flexibility
"I could bend over without groaning."
- jugularhealer16
"I could put my feet behind my head and walk on my hands. I'll be 40 this year and I pulled a muscle in my neck getting dressed for work this morning."
- ATXKLIPHURD
*yawn*
"I didn't wake up tired."
- N013
Happiness
"I had the ability to be happy."
- TabbsTheBat
Dreams
"Lucid dreaming. I used to have lucid dreams almost every night. As an adult, I have them very rarely, almost never."
-SenorKaboom
Looks
"Attractiveness. I used to be a model as a kid. I did not age well."
- BlahGame
Energy
"I could stay up til 3-4am and be fresh as a daisy in the morning."
"Now, I come home from work or training, wash, eat and I'm passed out by 9ish lmao."
- iJustRollBrrrrr...
"I used to be 100% impervious to cold when I was a kid. I could run out in the snow in my underwear for hours and be just fine."
"Now here I am, where a slightly chilly breeze could freeze me to death."
- DeltaSolana
Entertaining
"I used to be able to entertain myself by doing nothing. For hours and days. Now sometimes I am quite restless doing nothing, not sure where that happened."
- SafeDress9950
What abilities did you lose with age?
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We may not like it, but getting older is pretty inevitable.
With age may come wisdom, but it also comes with lots of responsibilities.
And some days, we're just over it.
Redditor brick_layer asked:
"What tasks are you tired of doing as an adult?"
Decisions, Decisions
"Deciding what to make for dinner."
- PortiaEss
"I would eat people kibble if it tasted good. Bachelor Chow (just add beer) needs to be a real thing."
- chaos8803
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho
"Going to work and acting like a functional person."
- ovelanimimerkki
"Yep, I hate trying to work when I'm not emotionally stable or just exhausted. And you literally can't tell anyone or they tell you to go get a coffee which just makes the week go downhill over time."
- gg_ff_42069
Manners
"Being polite to other adults who don't deserve it."
- 25_-a
"Also known as the 'I am too old for this sh*t' phase of life."
- Zintao
Cleaning
"Cleaning the fridge. 🤢 when I find something way in the back that’s been forgotten."
- joydobson
"I finally cleaned out ours today because it was trash day, and the husband isn’t home to argue with me about how that sauce from 2015 is 'still good!!' 🤨 Now I have an empty fridge with just the bare essentials. Worth it."
- Grizelda_Gunderson
Circle of Life
"Working. Paying bills. Getting up early. Doing stuff."
- guyfromcroswell
"Agreed. Such a mundane cycle indeed."
- Emotional_Ratio_3251
Is Naked So Bad?
"Laundry grrrrr."
- FewPizza7880
"I tend to put the laundry in, hear it beep, forget about it for 6 hours then remember it needs to dry."
- marvel_is_wow
Traffic
"Anticipating the morons on the roads that change lanes without signaling."
"Or merging into 70mph traffic while doing 45..."
- haveyouseenthebridge
"Or being stuck behind those people as we're merging, I get pissed. Like speed up to the flow of traffic, being behind them merging puts me in danger too."
- Nigel_IncubatorJones
Maintenance
"Buying a house is an endless list of shit that needs fixing or improving."
- muffbiscuits
"This is one of the many reasons I bought a condo. The majority of the maintenance is somebody else’s problem. I haven’t cut grass, raked leaves or shoveled snow in almost a decade."
‐ yogaballcactus
Teeth
"Brushing my teeth. It's annoying."
- scottevil110"
"I feel this deep. It’s flossing for me."
- brick_layer
"Wait until you're in your 60s and all of a sudden the perfect teeth that never even had a cavity now all of a sudden have tiny cracks and need porcelain crowns and you have constant pain and Delta Dental only covers cleanings and x-rays and a single crown is like $1500 and they're telling you that you need four and you think, well, we don't really need two cars, I could sell my old Subaru."
- Nobody_Wins_13
Alarming
"Waking up to an alarm clock."
"I've been waking up to an alarm clock almost every day since 1985, and I'm fucking tired of it."
"I want to wake up when I'm done sleeping."
"I don't want to wake up and find that I've slept through/turned off my alarm(s) yet again, and have to choose between packing a lunch and taking a shower."
- thisbuttonsucks
What part of adulthood are you tired of?
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I would love to know how people don't fear death.
I mean, it's the end. Life will be over. That kind of sucks.
Yet there are people who find tranquility in it.
Can you teach the rest of us?
Redditor deensuk wanted to hear from everyone who has a calmness about the heading to the afterlife. They asked:
"People who are not scared of death, why?"
I have a constant fear of death. I wanna perfect the ending of "Death Becomes Her" so I can live forever.
Before
"I'm not scared of death because of working in health care I was around it so much. I AM scared of what leads to death, however."
Full-Mulberry5020
Why now?
"Why should I be scared now of something that's only going to happen at the end of my life?"
User Deleted
"I did this cult thing called the landmark forum and I actually did like their “meaning of life”: the meaning of life is that there is no meaning. Life is empty and meaningless. There is no answer."
"Life is what you make of it and every persons answer is equally valid because there is no meaning to life. Life exists as, basically, an accident, we are all here by complete accident, there’s no great mystery, it’s all biology and you are 100% free to make life about whatever it is you want."
Conservative_HalfWit
Death and I are good friends...
"I was very sick as a child. Spent ages 7-20 in and out of hospital due to kidney issues. Lost a kidney at 28. Almost died during the surgery to removed the dead kidney due to blood loss. Had 5 surgeries back to back during the next 2 years. Twice they had difficulties bringing me out of anesthesia."
"Found my favorite aunt dead in her bed when I was 22. Watched my best friend die from a brain tumor at 30. Death has been a constant force in my life. Sometimes just on the edges waiting, sometimes unexpected staring me in the face. I'm not afraid because it's always been there. I now work in healthcare. Death and I are good friends."
Tiny_Teach_5466
No Worries
"Because it's coming for us all, sooner or later. So there's no point in worrying about it. I am much more concerned about day to day minutiae. The Lars von Trier film Melancholia starring Kirstin Dunst portrayed this perfectly. If there was an asteroid hurtling towards the earth, I'd probably be more preoccupied with worrying about whether I left the back light on or not."
Giallo_submarine
It's Over
"Because no one has ever made it out alive, and I was dead for an eternity before I was alive, and didn't suffer the slightest inconvenience because of it."
MarshallApplewhiteDo
I never thought about the before much. I hope the before is quick.
The Effects
"I hope that when my times comes it will be merciful. My uncle had a stroke, he is paralyzed. My grandmother is 91, but is losing all her memories of her life. Death does not scare me, what could be left of me before I die is what terrifies me."
M1ssy_M3
No Terror
"It’s like when the writer Nabokov said that he saw a picture one time, a picture of before he was born. It was a picture of his mother, his brother and sister that were older than him, but he had not been born yet. He said that when he saw that picture there was no terror in him, even though he was looking at a picture where he didn’t exist."
im_on-the_can
state of nonexistence...
"I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of dying. Death is just the state of nonexistence I experienced before I was born. I don't remember it because I didn't exist yet. Death will be the same way. I just don't want the transition to be marked by pain and sorrow at things left unfinished. I want it to be quick, painless, and with me surrounded by love."
Wazula42
I'm Gone...
"Because once I die, I won't know it. I won't miss people or regret things or feel pain or sadness about anything. I might fear being sick and slowly dying, just having to live with the knowledge that it's all going to end and this is the last time I'll ever see the people I love or taste good food or hear good music. That sounds almost unbearable. But death isn't even a thing, it's just having done something (died)."
"It's like virginity, it's a made-up state of being that just says whether or not you've experienced a specific occurrence. Once I die, I'm gone. My corpse will be the empty wrapper I used to be in, just garbage to be disposed of in whatever way makes my survivors feel better. I'll be switched off. If I don't worry about what the light feels after the bulb burns out, why would I be afraid of being dead?"
SallyHeap
At Peace
"I’m scared now because I have young kids. Once my kids are old enough to be on their own I imagine the fear will subside and I’ll have a more relaxed approach."
User Deleted
Some very interesting perspectives. May it all calm peacefully and with great mercy for us all.
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