People Describe The Creepiest Encounter They've Ever Had With A Stranger
Reddit user SilentBaker8893 asked: '"People of Reddit, what's the creepiest encounter you've had with a complete stranger that still gives you chills?"'
Depending on where you live, It's hard to be friendly with strangers because you really don't know about a person.
Gone are the days when you struck up a conversation with a random stranger just to pass the time.
Nowadays, you never know whom you're dealing with, and it's better to stay vigilant and be discerning about a person's character when you're out in public.
It's a sad way to be, but it's the way people are socialized in a very divided and bonkers climate.
Those who had unsettling interactions in public with people they hardly know shared their experiences when Redditor SilentBaker8893Baker8893 asked:
"People of Reddit, what's the creepiest encounter you've had with a complete stranger that still gives you chills?"
Keep an eye out behind you.
You never know if you have a new friend.
Give Me Your Number
"I was in a grocery store doing my weekly shop, and was approached by a man who said I was pretty and asked for my number. No intros, no asking me how I’m doing, just getting straight to it. I politely declined and said I wasn’t interested. He became persistent, so I ended up telling him to just give me his number so I could end the interaction."
"After he gives me his number, I go back to shopping without incident (or so I think). It turns out that this man was keeping an eye on me from the dairy section as i was walking up and down the aisles. As I’m getting ready to head to checkout, he decides to approach me again. This time, he’s super agitated and raises his voice while asking why I won’t just give him my number. I decide to be direct, and tell him that I said I wasn’t interested and I will not be giving my number to a stranger. He really had an issue with it, became irate, and had to be removed from the store. I was walked to my car, and he ended up following me out of the parking lot."
"I was on my street when I noticed I was being followed, drove past my house, and started driving towards the police station in my city. He followed me until he realized I was turning into that driveway and then sped off. Luckily I haven’t seen him since."
– Dismal_Ingenuity2247
The Homophobe
"I was walking home from work around 11 pm from Wrigley Field in Chicago. I walked home every night for years through these parts and never had any issue. I had my music in but never listened loud just in case. For about a mile I could hear someone yelling behind me, but they weren’t close and I couldn’t make out anything they were saying. I started to get a really bad vibe and decided to mute my music for a bit."
"I started to hear the voice getting closer but still couldn’t make anything out until I heard a distinct 'I just really really DONT like gay people.' I turned around and saw an old janky dude just sprinting at me full force from behind, I remember his arms were flailing in the air uncontrollably. I decided quickly to just cross the street and see if he would follow me. I turned to stare at him as he slowed to a walk and stayed on his side of the street. Once he was parallel to me, without even glancing over, he calmly said 'That’s exactly what I would have done.' And continued on, turning left into the train station about a block ahead. Gave me the creepiest feeling. I definitely was ready to fight if I needed, but dude had the most whacked out posture and vibe I’d ever seen."
– jaaaayy13
The Face Changes
"When my son was a toddler, I made a late night run to a 24 hour Walgreens to pick up a prescription for him. We lived in an urban area where that Walgreens was actually busy at that time of night. It was also right next to a Metro stop and was not a place where most people drove, so parking was super limited. I ended up parking at a curb a bit away from the store. When I got back to my car a youngish, very normal (by my estimation) guy came up to my window. I rolled it down a bit and he said 'I think I know you from xyz place.' I had actually been to xyz place before (xyz place was also a very popular place), so I tried to remember him."
"In that spilt second that I hesitated trying to remember him, his eyes went completely black, his whole face changed, and he grabbed the door handle of my car and tried to open it. I put the car in drive and peeled out of there, looking straight ahead. Only when I got to a red light a few streets away did I realize that the overhead light was on. He had actually opened my door a bit, and I hadn’t realized. I never forgot his face. How it changed. I remember one of Ted Bundy’s victims (survivor obviously) described how his face went from normal, attractive, friendly to black-eyed, unrecognizable, and frenzied. That’s how this man transformed. There were some missing women in our city, and I always wondered if this guy did it."
– teeshirtandundies
These are reminders to stay vigilant when traveling.
Stalker
"Driving across the country with my wife and dog, we stopped at a gas station around midnight. I was coming out of the bathroom, and I saw the guy mopping the floor had stopped, and was just staring out the window at my wife, who had finished letting the dog pee and was slowly walking back to the car."
"There was a super creepy guy slowly sneaking up behind her. He was like 20 feet back, but quietly getting closer, and my wife had no idea. So I got out of the gas station real quick, and loudly went over to them, hugged the dog said let's get going, etc. The second I walked over to them the guy turned around and ran away."
"My wife never knew there was a guy sneaking up behind her until I told her once we got back in the road."
– Veritas3333
Cadillac In The Rear View
"I was driving on a back road at night heading to my parents house when a Cadillac started following me. It was a one lane road at night, dizzling on and off and this guy I notice has been following me for a little over 2 miles. At first I thought it was paranoia, so I used my blinker and they copied me. Every time I did it. A sole blue light then went off on their hood behind me I guess trying to get me to pull over. I called 911 and stayed on the line until the police intercepted me. Lst: the guy ended up being wanted on warrants for skipping bail on an SA charge. Definitely came way too close that night."
– Successful_Arm_7509
A Beautiful Distraction
"I was in Vienna during Christmas break. There is a large open air market in the middle of the city and thousands of people were milling about, eating, drinking, and shopping in the evening."
"A very attractive blonde woman with light blue eyes bumps into me, and in accented English apologizes. I said ‘No worries’ and we started chatting. She says she’s from Poland and she’s here for New Years visiting a friend. I mentioned I’m American but Polish in heritage and we continue to talk for several minutes. She says that she’s hungry and wants to get food. I offered to buy her a slice of pizza at a booth. I get one for both of us and she takes a bite and says she doesn’t like it and wants to go to a place away from the town center."
"Something about how quickly she rejected the pizza, which was quite good, set off alarms and I wished her a pleasant evening and walked away. I looped around the town center and coincidentally saw her walking down an alley with two large men, one on each side of her…very quickly I realized that she was bait to draw me into an alley so they could mug me."
"I definitely dodged a bullet that day."
– LaximumEffort
Listen To Your Gut
"I had a similar thing happen to me."
"Years ago I was in Edinburgh for the fringe festival. I was drunk walking back to my hotel when I passed by a bar and I hear an American voice say 'Hug me, it's my birthday'. She was cute and she sounded sad so I gave her a hug a cigarette and we started talking."
"We chatted for a few minutes, I can't remember many of the small details but I remember a few things that big red flags for me. The first was the she said she was in the UK doing an internship in becoming a pharmacist and every so often a word just wouldn't come out right. It just hit my ears wrong."
"My sister-in-law is a pharmacist and I remembered her talking about how hard it was to get her program to sign off on an internship in another state, let alone another country. And I got lost in that thought for a second when the girl said she just wanted to ditch her friends, and go anywhere else. And that's when it hit me why her words weren't hitting my ear right... she was trying to hide an accent. Sounded Irish to me but it didn't matter. At this point I had decided that I wanted to keep my kidneys so I gave her another cigarette and a hug, wished her a happy birthday and walked away.
"I don't know that I dodged a bullet but I'm pretty sure I was going to end up robbed or worse."
– NicktheEvil
These Redditors saw the red flags and avoided disaster.
Daughter Whisperer
"My wife and I stopped at a park with our then 7 year old daughter. My wife went off on her own for a few to look at some trees while I took my daughter over to the bank of the lake. Seemingly of nowhere this really creepy guy walked up and started addressing my daughter while ignoring me. He was going on about how to attract the ducks and was positioning himself in a way to get in between us. I did a quick calculation where I had a base set up to kick his @ss into the ropes along the edge of the lake which would trip him at his knees and send him into the water. I had my daughter by the hand and just interrupted the guy and pulled her away, the guy turned around and went right to his car, and left immediately. My insticts were strongly indicating that this man intended to abduct my daughter, and the chills from that experience still haunt me many years later."
– NorthernH3misphere
Item Was Not For Sale
"When I was 9, I was in K-mart with my uncle in the television section (remember when k-mart had those separate rooms for the tv's and big electronics?) It was Saturday morning and he sat me and my little sister down and told us to watch the cartoons on the tv's while he hunted down a sales person. Not 2 minutes after he was gone, we approached my 2 men and they tried everything to lure us out. We were petrified and didn't say a word. They finally lifted my sister to carry her out and was reaching for me when my sister peed on the one guy. He dropped her and she started crying. My uncle heard her and came running. The guys bolted. I still think about that all the time. We were so lucky that day."
– TheLastMo-Freakin
Wrong Signal
"When I was about 6 years old (this would have been around 1990), I was riding my big wheel bike down my block in a DC suburb. The way our street was situated, at the end of the block was the entrance to an alleyway that took you behind all the houses. I would frequently turn down the alley and go behind our house and enter through our back gate."
"As I got towards the end of the block, a car was coming and I stopped and waved my hand indicating that they could go ahead and I would wait for them to pass. The driver in the car refused to go and motioned for me to turn instead. So I went ahead and entered the alley."
"I got about halfway up the alley not quite to my house when someone grabbed me from behind. It was the driver and she was pissed. She had turned into the alley after me , drove down, parked her car in the middle of the alley and gotten out. She yanked me up by the arm, and screamed in my face 'Don't you ever use police signals with me!' I immediately began sobbing, ran to my house and told my parents. By the time they ran out the back door, the driver was gone."
"I'm 38 now and still think about it."
– hoyahoyahoya
Offering A Ride Home
It doesn't give me chills but I do reflect and wonder what would have happened."
"We had just moved from Illinois to Florida. I had just turned 12, so this was '86. It was a weekend; I don't remember the specific day. I got up early and went to the basketball court in the apartment complex I lived in. Started playing and this hatchback pulls up. Guy gets out of the car and asks if he can shoot around with me. He's talking to me, don't remember the actual conversation. I do remember him telling me that he had a job interview and needed to borrow a comb. He asked me if I had one and I told him yeah. He asked to borrow it and I said sure, I just need to go grab it real quick. He said that he would drive me and I told him, 'no, that's ok. I live right over there and I could walk'. He was pretty insistent on giving me a ride. Finally I just told him that I'd be right back. Went towards my house through the courtyard, but never went there. Waited around the corner to see what he was doing. One of the older girls that I played ball with showed up. He left a couple minutes later."
"Coming from small town Illinois, I was pretty naive. But that whole thing felt off. The dude didn't bother me; just the insistence on him giving me a ride."
– ReapYerSole
The term "Stranger Danger" was used heavily in TV programs and public service announcements aimed at children during the 80s through the early 2000s.
It basically educated kids to be aware of possible dangers associated with adults they don't know.
The same could even apply for adults.
I once interacted with a guy at the Gap in Manhattan while I was shopping for a pair of shorts and I initially thought he was "normal." He was a really good-looking customer–with dark hair, blue eyes, 6'2–who told me that the pair of shorts I was holding at the time would look very attractive on me.
I was flattered, and we got to talking. I was impressed by how articulate and smart he was, and I was under the impression he might be flirting with me.
He wasn't.
Long story short, he gave me his number and insisted I call him for information about this group he was a part of and that I would be the perfect candidate for joining and making money and going on various retreats around the world attending seminars on how we could better ourselves.
Yup. He was too good to be true.
Knowing he was trying scam me into joining some pyramid scheme-y cult group (I still have no idea what it was), I said I'll call him only if he went out with me for coffee after shopping and if he let me passionately make out with him while I was wearing the shorts he thought would look hot on me.
I was kidding, of course.
But he didn't know that. Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed. He called me a homophobic slur and stormed out of the store.
He even left his bag of purchases, and I yelled out before he exited, "Sir, you left your bag!"
Turns out it was a prop.
Careful, everyone. Don't be fooled by a gorgeous smile.
There are despicable people in our midst who can hide their true colors until it's too late.
It's all unfortunate really, as I've generally lost trust in people.
My experience–along with separate mugging incidents–has left me acting socially awkward when out on my own in public.
Be it on a blind date, at a party where you don't know anyone, or sitting next to someone on an airplane, starting a conversation with a total stranger is difficult.
As much as we'd all like to be friendly, far too often we find ourselves at a loss for words.
It doesn't help that we generally have no idea of what these people's various interests are, making it anyone's guess how they'll respond.
But some have this problem solved, finding a go-to topic which is always guaranteed to get a response, no matter who you're talking to.
Redditor Blugged_Bunny was curious to hear what people thought was the best way to begin a conversation with strangers, leading them to ask:
"What is your go-to 'small talk' topic with strangers?"
Did you check the forecast?
"We sure are having a lot of weather"- r_Ju_Tacular.
"As a British person, the conversation usually starts like this:"
“'You alright?'"
”Yeah you?”'
“'Yeah not too bad, weathers a bit sh*t innit?'”
“'Yeah”'.
"The end."- chelstippins
Cloud Storm GIF by Weather UndergroundGiphyWhy beat around the bush?
"Straight to politics and religion."- Turd_Ferguson009.
Just let it happen.
"Make an observation."
"Literally anything."It helps if it’s something about them like an article of clothing that catches your eye, something they’re doing, anything that you can relate to or are interested in but it doesn’t have to be."
"It can be something in the environment that is drawing both of your attention."
"People bullsh*t about the weather all the time."
"Make a comment about it, gauge their willingness to talk about it to you and build off of what you get from the response."
"If all you get is 'haha yeah', leave it."
"No shame in silence."
"Some people just don’t want to talk."
I"f you’re talking about the weather, 'Man it’s a great day out today!'"
“'Yeah absolutely! I drove here with my windows down all the way here!'”
"Boom, you’ve got something to latch onto."
"They probably enjoy getting outside for some fresh air. "
"They probably enjoy driving."
"Ask about their car."
"Ask if they go on drives a lot."
"Ask if they do outdoor stuff."
"What kind of outdoor stuff?"
"Once you’ve got something to work with, the key is to ask."
"Let them do the talking."
"People love talking about themselves."
"You learn some light hearted things about the stranger, they feel more comfortable, and you can add bits and bobs of your own experiences in response so they get to know you too."
"It works in literally any situation."
"From an elevator ride to a first date."
"It’s so easy to personalize small talk and it makes it so much less uncomfortable."- 1arrocknroll.
"But enough about me, what do you think about me?"
"Usually people love to talk about themselves, so a few questions about them and some follow up questions to their answers usually does it."- I_can_see_the_music.
For Me GIF by Liz HuettGiphy"Food, glorious food..."
"Food."
"People typically love food."
"I mention I’m new/newer to an area."
"And ask them what they like, where they eat out."
"Usually works and people have their choices validated and I always know where to find good local snacks."- TheProfWife.
Can you believe it?
"Did you see that ludicrous display last night?"- housemuncher.
Nothing!
"As a Norwegian - we leave strangers alone."
"No need to bother them."- neihuffda.
No Idea Reaction GIF by BounceGiphyThe sky's the limit.
"So, do you like stuff?"- Bwon669.
All of these seem like surefire ways to get a conversation started.
But use cautiously, as who knows how long it will take these conversations to end.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
The gravity of a kind act is in the beholder.
Despite the constant barrage of horrifying incidents and hateful actions spewed by the media day in and day out, we must remember that there are some really wonderful people out here.
And they are building community with their neighbors all over the place.
Fortunately, for those kind strangers, a small selfless act isn't a big deal. They do it without thinking about it. Truly, they can't not do the morally good deed.
But when we are on the receiving end, that small moment of kindness can feel gigantic. Whether it's the timing or the tone, it really can feel like the most important event that could've happened.
Some Redditors gathered to describe the times they were blown away by a small good deed that came just at the right moment.
astridius asked, "What is the most selfless thing someone is unaware they did for you?"
Some people recalled the times when some stranger brought a sudden sense of serenity and composure following a scary accident.
Despite injury and destruction, these people maintained their calm, and even passed it along.
Still Selfless
"I was driving and hit another car. He was stopped to turn and I simply wasn't paying attention. I rear-ended his car at about 30 miles per hour. Set off my cars air bags. I managed to pull over to the side, he completed his turn. I was in shock and blundered right into the highway."
"He ran out, pulled me to safety and as I'm sobbing and apologizing, he just gave me a big hug and kept telling it's ok, we're ok, cars can be fixed. He was so sweet and calm when I was a complete mess."
"Found out from my co-worker a week later, the gentlemen I hit had lost his wife to cancer the week before."
"Just....wow."
Prioritizing the Right Things
"My daughter has a progressive neurological issue that is slowly taking away her right side. A few years ago, when she was 12 and could still ride a bike, we were riding to a place to watch fireworks on the 4th of July."
"She was struggling to ride and was somewhat unsteady and couldn't make quick moves. We weren't riding far. As she was riding by a new Mini Cooper, she was struggling to keep her bike straight and her handle bar hit the side view mirror of the guys Mini."
"He was in the car and and just smiled and waved us on saying everything was fine. I think he had a sense that my daughter had to work extra hard to ride her bike. After we moved out of the way, I went to thank the guy but he drove off."
"I know she broke the glass on his mirror, I heard it. I'll never forget the guys face and how compassionate and understanding he was."
-- macva99
The Right House To Crash In Front Of
"I once crashed while riding a very small bike down an incredibly steep hill. A very big, very steep hill. I got some gravel in my knee, and I just yelled 'FU**!' Over and over again."
"The people who lived in he house I had just crashed in front of came out and asked me if I was okay, I tried to tell them I was fine, it just hurt. So the wife that lived here says 'don't worry, I'm a nurse. I can get that gravel out for you.' And then she proceeds to pick out all of this gravel from my leg, bandage it, and tell me to be more careful."
"Lady if you're out there, never stop being this person. I think about you whenever I have a chance to help someone else out."
-- Garagairas
Other people provided an environment of supportive community at exactly the right time. From humans to animals, they were forces of good that interrupted a particularly dark time.
Another Way
"When i was in grade 3 my teacher invited me to have dinner with her and her family. My family life was not good. I never had a dad. My mom is an alcoholic (She has been sober now for 30 years)."
"I did not know what a normal family was like until that dinner and night at her house. It was just so calm and stable. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was almost 40 years ago. It made me realize that there was another way to exist."
-- Fiascoe
Cutting Through to the Humanity
"I have a genetic condition that makes me look rather awful. People are often uncomfortable around me. I get it, totally - but still, it hurts."
"One night, I was a church activity, and they told everyone that they could go target shooting (I know....weird). That's not my thing, and so I just stayed by the campfire. After everyone left, a girl stayed there with me and just talked."
"As we were talking, a few bugs came and landed on my face, and she brushed them away - like it was the most normal thing in the world. People never touch me at all - or at least not without fear."
"I know that is not really doing much - but I think that she must have gone through a lot in her life - in order to be around someone like me, and not be afraid."
"It's been years since that happened, and I still get that ache in the throat just thinking about it."
-- beyondwhatis
A Trusted Reprieve
"My friend's parents feeding me and letting me stay the night at their homes, even on school nights when sh** was getting crazy at my house."
"Maybe they were aware, but they never let me know."
-- [deleted]
The Family She Chose
"My mother in law's kindness and ability to be a mother figure and friend. My family is very fu**ed up and abused me, hence why my husband took me away from it and married me. Having a family that actually loves me means the world to me."
"He doesn't realize that having a mother that worries about him and loves him is something that he shouldn't take for granted."
-- MasterAqua2
A Caring Dog, a Patient Owner
"I was having a really bad depressive episode and this man and their dog were walking down the street. I was waiting for my food and considering just walking saying fuck it and walking down to one of the bridges on the river."
"The mans dog was walking with her leash dragging on the floor, and she came up to me and sat down on my feet and looked up at me and refused to move for about 5 minutes."
"I don't know if the man realized I needed this or what, but he didn't say or do anything as I stood there crying and petting his dog."
"When the dog decided she was done, she got up and they walked off and I never saw them again."
-- rizcriz
Perfect Timing
"When I was 20 I had to have major surgery and was facing a life with a chronic illness. When I was home recovering a friend came by and put me in her car and took me on a random drive down to the beach and just all over."
"It was so relaxing and healing for my mind. I'm a grandparent now and have had challenges but have been fine and I'll never forget what she did. Thank you Marie."
And some people recalled the people whose moment of selflessness was the spark that lead to a serious development in life. The moment itself may have seemed minor, but it was required for a much more significant snowball to begin rolling.
Igniting a Passion
"In 5th grade, we were forced to learn the plastic recorder. Our music teacher was nice and taught us the basics and like 3 or 4 notes. Since they were so cheap, he let all the students keep them at the end of the year"
"The teacher probably thought it was nothing and was probably just following orders, but unbeknownst to him, that changed my life. I was so happy to take it home and wanted to learn everything musically possible on this plastic instrument that probably only cost a few cents."
"I took band and orchestra the next year and kept picking up new instruments. So far, I've picked up about 8 instruments, with my current favorite being ukulele. I've also gotten into songwriting."
"I had no interest in music before the recorder, and though it's a squeaky, annoying instrument, I don't think I would've found my love of music without it. I still have the original recorder my teacher let me keep as a reminder, so thanks Teach."
-- PhotoSky2021
Passing On Memory
"After my kitten passed away at the end of August, I uploaded a video tribute to her. Some wonderful human being replied and told me they had a pregnant cat that looked just like her and that one of the kittens would be named in her honor."
"The person came back a couple months ago to leave another comment saying the kitten named after mine was alive and well."
"Honestly pulled me out of a deep pit of depression and self-loathing (I blamed myself for my kitten falling ill to begin with)."
"Ramieverse, if you ever see this, thank you so much. You need to tell me more about how Sabrina's doing and what she's like. ❤"
Showing Belief
"I had a professor in community college who encouraged me to continue my studies and was very complimentary of my work. I eventually transferred to a 4 year college and earned two graduate degrees."
"I went back years later to tell him of my success and thank him, but was greeted by his successor who told me the teacher died. I just broke down sobbing and left."
Close to Quitting
"One time I woke up late again for work, and on this day it was the straw I had been looking for. I decided to just quit my job. Texted my supervisor to say I was sorry for my record and that I was resigning."
"Supervisor showed the big boss. Big boss said no, I was too good of a worker to lose."
"He said if I came in the next day, he would move my shift to a more manageable time and keep me working. I was so caught off by this guy caring, and that I didn't even know knew my name, that I went in the next day and didn't follow through with my plans."
"Nowadays, I'm in a much better head space and am so thankful for him. He saved my life and he has no idea."
-- NoKnfePizza
It Only Took Two Words
"I was severely depressed at that time and I was sitting outside in the veranda on a bench when my 4 year old cousin came and stood on the bench and just hugged me."
"I asked her what are you doing and she replied, 'maya korchi' which means 'showing you love.' I still think about it when I am feeling down."
-- nerdywiz009
Saved More Lives Than One
"Someone donated their kidney when they died and they allowed me to be healthy enough to have and rise my son."
"He just turned 21."
Close Call
"after i was rescued from human trafficking i was in a safe house, one of the social workers when i moved out sent me a letter thanking me for being the reason she decided to pursue her career working with trafficking victims."
"She saved my life and has no idea."
A list like this is a good inspiration to think upon what we're grateful for. It can be helpful to comb through our past and recall the minor moments that turned out to be pretty huge.
Chances are, we all have a couple people like that.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
“Stranger danger" isn't just a rule for kids at the playground--it's a mentality that everybody should have. Maybe it's my paranoia or the fact that as a woman I get catcalled every time I leave the freakin' house, but I personally believe that we need to be wary of strangers. And these stories are exactly why.
Here are some of the scariest encounters people have had with strangers. I'm not excited to read these- my anxiety won't thank me. Enjoy!
Anchovy7 asked:
What's the scariest encounter you've had with a total stranger?
Being a former resident of New York City, I have had plenty of stories of people sitting next to me and saying creepy sh*t. It’s strangely comforting to know that other people feel that pain too.
Thank you, Marty.
It's a mix of the scariest, and the best:
I was eleven, and at the park with my cousin who was three. My cousin being a stubborn three year old told me to leave him be, and I sat out on the bench.
I was just reading my book, and occasionally looking up, until this like fifty something year old man sat down next to me, and just started talking.
He asked me, which kid was mine like four times, even after I made it quite clear I was uncomfortble, and then he get's all close to me, and was like:
"Do you want another one?"
So I started freaking out, until this homeless man, (who I later knew to be Marty) pulled me off the bench, and told him that he was lucky he didn't 'pop his jaw' and told me to go home.
I'm glad Marty showed up, because I don't know what I would have done.
Update: Marty says hello.
Never go to the library in a big city. Trust me.
steve buscemi trunk GIF GiphyNot scary per se but deeply disturbing. Random dude at my local library accosted me while I was enjoying a new sci-fi novel and was absolutely convinced I was his son. Kept telling me he was sorry and he never meant to kill my mother who he called Pink and said some other heinous sh*t I won’t describe.
Bat sh*t crazy but he sounded so rational and calm the whole time. Sh*t gave me the creeps for a long time after.
Creepy af.
I was in high school and worked at a truck stop.
One night a trucker came in and stared at me for a long time. Wherever I moved to he was staring me down. I told him that if he needed anything that he would need to come to the counter and order it.
He just grunted and kept staring.
I'm not a small person and at that time I was in football, wrestling, and track. I was also at the gym 6 days a week. I was 190 pounds of muscle and teenager hormones. But the vibes I was getting from this guy were making me nervous.
I called up my other co worker and told them I was going to be in the freezer for a while. So I was stocking the freezers and coolers for a while and then went to the bathroom.
As I entered the bathroom the trucker jumped up and walked in behind me and just stood in there while I took a piss and washed my hands.
As soon as I got out I grabbed the trash bags and bee lined outside to take care of the trash at the pumps until he left.
My co worker asked me why the trucker kept following me after I finally came in.
I had no idea why. He never said anything. Didn't order anything. Just filled up his semi and creeped on me.
I've never been as creeped out by a person as I was with that guy.
The scariest encounters are the ones aimed at kids. Absolutely no sympathy for these monsters.
This is deeply disturbing.
When I was about 6 I was with my family at an incredibly crowded street festival we'd go to every year. I remember we had stopped to watch a band play for a minute or two, and then my mom (I assumed) took my hand and we continued walking.
After a few seconds I realized the hand I was holding was puffy and hot, and my mom's hands were always cool and more slender, so I knew it wasn't her hand I was holding. I looked up to see a woman with long blond hair and sunglasses grinning down at me. I said "You're not my mom" and she just laughed and said "That's okay, you can come with me anyway!"
Obviously my mom and dad had realized I was not with them at this point and were freaking out. My dad just happened to look in the exact right direction at the right time and saw this lady leading me away through a break in the crowd. He ran over to us, grabbed her shoulder and she dropped my hand and disappeared in the crowd.
I still can't believe he spotted us. It was like shoulder to shoulder people at this thing.
Wtf....
yelling steve carell GIF GiphyI was 16 and sitting on a train station with my mother. Some man came over and started talking to her.
After a while I looked at the clock and informed my mother that we needed to go because our train was about to arrive. He flew up from the seat and started screaming at me and wanted to fight me. My mother was confused and tried to explain to him that I was her daughter and that we really did need to leave. He just continued screaming which of course made teenage me scream back at him. She had to pull me away from there.
I never understood what made him see red like that. All I did was inform my mother our train was coming and we needed to leave.
That’s horrifying.
I will never forget it. When Ghostbusters 2 came out I wanted to see it. My mom took me to the local theater I think I was around 9.
I needed to use the bathroom so I ran down the small hall and turned the corner. When I saw a much older man come out of the bathroom. When he saw me he stopped went back in. When I didn't move he opened the door peeking his head and arm out motioning me to come towards him. I probably looked like a deer in headlights I didn't move. It was frozen until he said: come on, come on in. Panic rushed over me and I ran back towards my mom, who said I was pale white. She quickly left the theater with me and went home. Stranger Danger worked out that day in the 80s.
I can still picture him, or atleast the picture my brain made of this memory.
So this one’s kinda obvious, but clearly there had to be a section about the horrors women go through every day if we dare step foot outside our homes. Here are a few intense stories.
Moms looking out for each other.
I dropped my son off at school one morning and then went to the grocery store with my infant daughter. It was so early, there was only 1 or 2 other customers. There was an older man with a walker that I didn't really pay too much attention to that kept popping up in the same aisle as us.
I got out to my car and put my groceries in and then was putting my daughter in her car seat when the man came up behind me. He asked me a question and when I turned to answer he shoved his walker into the back of my legs pinning me against my car inside the open door. I tried moving around but couldn't go anywhere except forward and he started pushing me down to the floor of my car. I was so scared that once he had me down there he was going to go for my daughter so I threw myself over her so my whole upper body was in her car seat and wedged myself in tight trying to cover as much of her as possible.
He grabbed me by the hair and was trying to pull me up when someone started honking their car horn. Another mom had been sitting in her car with her own baby asleep and had seen what was happening. Another car pulled up behind mine and the man ran over and got in quickly, obviously never needing the walker. The police were called but the plates on the car that he left in were stolen so as far as I know he was never found.
It can happen in your own home.
Movie Stabbing GIF GiphyI was taking a shower in the bathroom of the walkout basement. My 3 year old son was upstairs with my mother eating breakfast. I heard him open the door and told him "Mommy is in the shower, you have to wait."
The door didn't close but he didn't respond either so I asked him to go back upstairs and ask grandma for whatever he needed.
Instead I see a a shadow and outline of a hand touching the shower curtain and realize that there is an ADULT in the bathroom, not my son.
I scream and punch through the shower curtain. I don't think I connected, but I heard the man run out anyway. As fast as I could I jumped out and grabbed a towel to check on my son and mom. At the same time my mom was coming downstairs to see if I was ok from the scream.
The man never went upstairs and they didn't even know it had happened. The walkout basement door and window were open.
I called the police and they didn't find him, just my empty wallet about a block away. They did come back to me a few weeks later to let me know that they caught a guy in the area assaulting women at gunpoint and they think it was the same guy.
Never been so scared in my life.
Add: The most visceral part for me was knowing he was just standing quietly in the bathroom while I talked to him like he was my son. Honestly, I don't know why but that creeps me out the most. It felt really violating at the time.
Been there.
I was walking home from the bus stop after school. About 15 years old. It was really not far but there were construction workers drinking on the side of the road. One of them got up and followed me home calling suggestive things. I honestly can't remember what but his intentions were clear. This was about 200m from home so I sprint home. We have an automatic gate so I realize he will catch me if I wait for it to open or he'll follow me in. So I climb over which is normally not easy but that day I flew over.
I was really shaken up. For me this story is actually about what happened next. Which is that I called my mom who had an intense job. She dropped everything at work, came home immediately, made me hot chocolate and pancakes. We had a long conversation where she validated my feelings and fear. She's the best.
Truck stops alone at night are the worst.
I was traveling home to California and I was in Nevada. It was an emergency so I'd packed and left at around midnight. It was about five thirty am or so in rural Nevada. I was at a stop on my usual route. I was very familiar with the particular stop, and it was just an hour or so before the California border.
Being a lone female, I concealed carry (I have my extended permit which allowed concealed through several states, except California) and I was at my truck at an empty spot, and I was in the cab disassembling and putting away my gun to be in compliance. Stepped out to go to the restroom and someone had managed to get close to my truck and was hiding along the passenger side, and I didn't know it until I'd walked passed them.
Whoever it was grabbed me from behind. I let out the loudest, most blood-curdling scream. Oscar-winning scream. But there was no other people at this stop. I fought and tried to buck the guy off of me, but I wasn't doing very well. Kicking lead him to lift me off the ground where I couldn't get him, and trying to break through his arms made him bend me over with him still behind me. I'm not sure how long I was screaming and fighting, but then I heard tires screech and I figured it was the creepy van my parents told me to avoid as a kid coming to take me away. Nope. It was a Toyota Corolla full of local teenagers headed to the gas station before school. The teens jumped out and ran towards us, and the driver stayed in the vehicle. The guy who grabbed me took off, two of the kids chased him through the desert beyond the gas station on foot, and the driver and the other kid made sure I was alright.
I send these four boys Christmas and birthday cards every year. I'm sure if it wasn't for them I would've been kidnapped or killed. Josh, Austin, Mason, and James, thank you guys.
The world is terrifying, my dudes. I've been harassed by my fair share of strangers, and it's the reason why I'm super careful just was walking around my neighborhood.
Protect yourself, protect your kids, protect your friends. It's scary out there
People Who Work In Strangers' Homes For A Living Share The Weirdest Thing They Ever Experienced
Some jobs require people to either enter or work in the homes of strangers.
To many of them, jobs involving visits to homes of people they don't know are better than toiling away for hours while being confined inside an office cubicle – not that there's anything wrong about that.
But there are a few who still get an unwelcome shock of their lives – even with the understanding that their particular work atmosphere can be unpredictable
Curious to hear about their experiences, Redditor jlbeekman90 asked strangers on the internet:
"People with jobs that require you to go into strangers' houses, what is the weirdest thing you've encountered?"
Not Alone
No one ever told these people they would have friendly intrusion while on the clock.
Got Goat?
"A goat in the living room. The mother came down and shooed it outside."
"human 'mother', or goat mother?? lol"
Stinky Critter
"Not me but my dad who can tell the story much better than I can. He was once repairing a furnace in the basement of one of his clients homes. Nobody was home when suddenly he heard a scurrying behind him, but when he looked nothing was there. This went on several times before he realized the noise was coming from behind a couch. Slowly, he began towards it. As he bent down, a skunk popped out from its hiding spot and met him face to face. Turns out he was a pet, but apparently it really spooked him at the time."
"Awful And Itchy"
"I'm an EMT, so I've seen lots of hoarders, human and animal waste, etc. But, the most aggravating day was when my partner and I got fleas from this dudes house. Our ambulance was swarming with fleas. Her and I were covered in fleas. We could see them jumping around there were so many. We had to mark out of service to decontaminate the truck and ourselves. It was awful and itchy."
The Zookeeper
"I work as a mobile computer repair/IT service guy. Went into a house to work on a laptop, and they happened to be my next-door neighbors. House had an animal smell (people with pets usually do not notice). But this was different. As I sat down to work on the laptop I heard a loud screech, and a pigmy marmoset jumped from a cabinet onto my head, pulling my hair violently. I then watched as an albino skunk, 3 house cats, 2 small dogs, and various large birds (a mynah, African gray, and what I think was some kind of guinea fowl) all appeared from various rooms and furnishings. All the animals were kind of friendly (there was no biting), but the sheer volume of animals in that tiny space was crazy. A few weeks later the Department of fish and wildlife and US customs raided their house. I found out later my neighbor smuggled rare animals. And had several aquariums full of rare poisonous snakes."
Basement Community
"Not me, but my SO. SO used to work for comcast as an installer and electrician many years ago. He has lots of odd/funny/alarming stories. My favorite is when he was in the basement of an old house running some wires. He couldn't find the pull for the lights so he was using a small flashlight to look around. So he's looking around and catches eyes in the dark with his flashlight. Goes back and realizes there's many eyes watching him in the dark. As soon as he realizes he gets creeped out and starts to head for the stairs. Then something starts screaming. Which makes him scream. Then the home owner comes down turns on the lights and apologizes for not telling him about the herd of goats that live in the dark basement. Apparently they are easily startled. He said there were probably a dozen of them down there."
Horror Movie Territory
People who enjoy going into scare houses during Halloween wouldn't dare experiencing the following.
Here Are My Digits
"So this was back when I was a student on a placement in community mental health services. I went out on a visit to see a man who was just recently discharged from a medium secure hospital, he had schizophrenia / psychosis. We were going in for a routine checkup."
"I knock, he opens the door, and this incredible stench just hits us in the face, and I thought I was gonna throw up right there. But alas, my supervisor urges me to go in, we walk into his house, and it just smells sooooo bad. My eyes were watering. I keep my composure, we chat to him, and I notice some black thing on his kitchen table, looks like rotting food/mould/tiny dead mouse... Idk. So after chatting, I casually ask him what that black thing is and if he needs help cleaning it up."
"Oh it's my toes"
"What. The. F'k."
"Yeah I cut them off, they didn't fit right on my foot."
"Needless to say he was immediately readmitted. He reportedly cut them off with a kitchen knife and then seared his wound with a lighter. I believe he had to have his entire foot/below knee leg amputated because it got infected."
Scare-bnb
"I used to help my dad who was a real estate appraiser. We went into this one house that was in the mountains, it was vacant. One room looked like it had black carpeting. When we looked closer, we found out the floor was covered in dead flies. The only room in the house like that."
Grisly Discovery
"A neighbor called the police after noticing the mail piling up outside of a neighbor's house, never ever a good sign. I get the check the welfare call and go with a back up car. No answer at the door so we try to look through all the 1st floor windows when my partner spots,a foot in the hallway. We forced entry and found the eldery female barely alive. She had fallen two days,earlier and had a broken hip. Fire/rescue came and got her to the hospital in time. I know not the weirdest thing finding her. We had to grab all the prescription medicine we could find to take to the hospital, it was then that we found her mummified husband sitting in the bedroom chair. Coroner said he had been there about six months."
Trash Can Alternative
"I was 20 years old working as an internet installer (just over 10 years ago). A cute girl a little older than me ordered service so while I was at her house surveying (both flirting) I told her I had to trace some lines down. It was a studio type MIL suite she was renting behind a house as she was in college."
"Started tracing lines and had to look behind her bed. It was just a mountain of used tampons, she had been shoving them under and behind her bed. The rest of the house was relatively clean."
"Also lots and lots of hoarders. There are so many hoarders."
Wasteland
"When I was a caregiver, I was absolutely flabbergasted when I walked into a home where there was dog sh*t everywhere. No pads, no newspaper, etc. Just dog shit e v e r y w h e r e, of all kinds. Dried, fresh, broken into bits, whole pieces..."
"There was a capable adult in the household who could have let the dog out. I had to bite my tongue, every time I went there and was told to pick it up, because I so badly wanted to go 'What in the absolute f'k is wrong with you??? How do you live like this when I'm NOT here???'"
Pizza Delivery
These Redditors delivered pies and came back with bizarre stories.
The Gift
"As a pizza delivery driver, I wasn't required to go into anyone's house, at least on paper. In practice though, it happens. If I were doing the same job now, I'd be much more wary of going into someone's house, but at 19, I thought I was invincible and didn't care."
"I have tons of pizza delivery stories from back then, some I've even told on Reddit before, but I've never told this one."
"There used to be this log cabin looking house right in the middle of town. It's since been demolished but it was legitimately just a very large log cabin sitting in the middle of a city. It was probably 10pm when I went out on the delivery. I looked at the address, looked at the wall map to see exactly where I was going (the days before GPS), and realized it was the log cabin. I'd always noticed it but had never visited it, nor did I know anything about it. So it was kind of exciting getting to see who actually lived in this place."
"I arrive and pull into the driveway and for the first time, I noticed it had 3 separate doors. A, B, and C."
"'I'll be damned, it's a triplex,' I thought."
"The address was for unit C, so I went to unit C and knocked on the door. As soon as it opened a wall of stink knocked me across the face. It smelled like... I don't know, a mixture of piss and unwashed crotch? A woman answered wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties, which wasn't particularly strange for my town, but when she raised her arms, I could see her boobs hanging out the bottom of the shirt."
She turned around and said "I gotta get my pocket book, will you set it on the counter?"
"Extremely hesitant, I crossed the threshold and saw the counter right next to me. I set the pizza down. She came back out with the exact change and a copy of The Last of the Mohicans on VHS. She handed me the money and said 'Have you seen this?' and plops the video in my hands."
"'Uh, yeah, years ago,' I say."
"'Well now you own it,' she says. 'That damn movie is so good.'"
"I stare at her and the tape for a moment and I'm like 'I mean if you like the movie I don't wanna take it from you."'
"'No it's fine,' she says. 'I got like 50 copies of it.'"
"Right after she said that, I noticed her tv was on and, no sh*t, Last of the Mohicans was playing. I remember clearly it was the scene where the guy was being burned alive."
"'Okie doke, thanks,' I said, and left."
"When I got back to work, I told my manager I'd just delivered a pizza to the log cabin in town and he looks at me and says 'Did she give you a copy of Last of the Mohicans?'"
"'SHE DID!' I replied."
"Yeah I got a copy from her too."
"Not particularly scary or anything, just weird. I never had a delivery for her again."
– CDC_
The Excited Teen Customer
"Similarly, I had a young guy once open the door in nothing but some track pants and I couldn't help but notice his raging hard-on and a semi-nude old lady lying on the couch behind him."
"Pizza delivery doesn't pay enough, but it's a crazy job with limitless stories."
– CDC_
Pizza Museum
"I was an internet installer about 10 years ago, too! I actually just recently got back into the industry, but yeah..... There are a lot more hoarders out there than people typically think. And for weird stuff, too. I had a guy that had stored about 4 years worth of pizza boxes in his basement, stacked to the ceiling and piles sorted by where he ordered them from."
Many employees who deliver items or make home visits for inspection and repairs have continued doing god's work throughout the pandemic – as long as they abided by safety protocols and were healthy.
With much of the pandemic seeing an uptick in such services, these itinerant workers undoubtedly have endless anecdotes to share.
Hopefully, stories about finding corpses or severed toes inside homes were not a frequent occurrence.
Because no thank you.