Is this a suspicious incident?
Replies
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Beat me to it!The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker. Act on your gut, because it's responding to logic that you don't fully have time to process.
Good book0 -
get yourself some mace, a cell phone and new jogging shoes.......0
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When I lived in a smaller town something similar happened to me. There was the church out front with a small front lot. It also had a parking lot out back (more of like the church in the center of a lot, but the front lot was larger). Directly, behind the church and the back lot was the original/ old graveyard. Then there was also a new graveyard across the street behind the old graveyard. So road, front lot, church, back lot, old graveyard, cross street, new graveyard. I used to do a loop on a trail that ran from the back lot all around the old graveyard and the new one too. One night this car was parked in the old lot on when I came around from my first loop. It was twilight and I didn't give it much thought. Second loop, still there. Third loop, holy crap he is out of the car and walking toward me. Who is this guy? but never really felt scared, more annoyed than anything.
Then I saw it was a very elderly gentleman who was very pissed off. He starts yelling at me cuz he thinks I am one of the 'kids' he has seen spray painting around here. Once he got close enough to get a good look at me he realized I wasn't one of his hooligans he had been trying to catch. This old guy had appointed himself the graveyards night watchmen against taggers in our town. He apologized for yelling, told me to be careful, and from then on I had my own personal, albeit very aged, body gaurd who watched me from the car.
One key thing though, my gut alarm never really went off. Could be on some level my subconscious told me it was just a nosy old guy in that Lincoln Towncar, or it saw how slow, troubled his walk toward me was and wasn't threatened. So take from that story what you will.0 -
So I had just finished work on some electrics on the church and had got into my truck when these two weird women arrive..
They must have been a bit odd as they came out of the graveyard at 7:30 in the evening.
But what was really weird is they stood and watched me for over a minute.
I got so creeped out I left.
Anyway, I went and got my Bigmac and fries and drove back to the parking lot to eat it and they were still there. Walking round in circles. Told you they were weird.
Anyway, I had already turned into the parking lot. I decided not to stay so I was turning the truck round in a big arc when these two woman take off running for some reason. I looked around but I couldn't see what had spooked them.
Anyway, now they had gone I sat and ate my McDonalds.
I was wondering, should I call the police and get them to check out this parking lot. Their behaviour was definitely odd.
Its all a matter of perspective......0 -
It certainly sounds like you were being sized up to me. Predators, animal and human, stalk their prey and size up the risks before making an attack. You should let the police know what happened. Give as much detail as possible so that they will notice this truck if they see it in your area. Little things like a damaged tail light or license plate, cracked window or scratch can help. Be vigilant and persistant, call the PD everytime you see this truck in your area. Remember your instincts protect you. Always trust them. If you feel you are in danger, do whatever you have to do to protect yourself at all times. Changing your routine and not doing the same thing at the same time and place will make you safer.0
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So I had just finished work on some electrics on the church and had got into my truck when these two weird women arrive..
They must have been a bit odd as they came out of the graveyard at 7:30 in the evening.
But what was really weird is they stood and watched me for over a minute.
I got so creeped out I left.
Anyway, I went and got my Bigmac and fries and drove back to the parking lot to eat it and they were still there. Walking round in circles. Told you they were weird.
Anyway, I had already turned into the parking lot. I decided not to stay so I was turning the truck round in a big arc when these two woman take off running for some reason. I looked around but I couldn't see what had spooked them.
Anyway, now they had gone I sat and ate my McDonalds.
I was wondering, should I call the police and get them to check out this parking lot. Their behaviour was definitely odd.
Its all a matter of perspective......
QFT0 -
Carry a cell phone and whip it out next time, be prepared to call the police. Vary your routine, and watch your back. Be very careful and trust your instincts.
Yes, it's likely some guy was planning to prey on you. No one likes to say this but hey, it is not a safe world out there for women. Anywhere.
Is there a safe man you know y'all could walk with for a while?0 -
Numerous safety experts have said to go with your instincts if you feel like something isn't right.
That being said, it can be really easy to freak yourself out over nothing. I remember once walking in Berkeley with a friend near campus when we were about 18 and we totally got freaked out and even at the time we could tell we were being ridiculous. But you start to get an adrenaline response and I think that just feeds the fear.0 -
Wow... I agree with many of these people... intuition is given to us to protect us from harm in many cases... i have found that when i listen to it things go well for me yet when i fail to listen to it sometimes bad things happen... you are smart for listening to your intuition..0
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I would call the church, say the truck made you nervous, and ask them about it. Chances are it was probably somebody who recently lost someone and came to visit a grave and grieve in quiet. If the person recently lost their spouse, for example, sitting there for a half an hour would not be unusual.
But better safe than sorry. If it was a suspicious person, it would be good to report it to the church.0 -
Honestly, as awful as it sounds, church parking lots are notorius for drug deals. It's because it's a place that doesn't constantly have people coming and going. The likely reason the truck probably left the first time is because they saw you there. They probably called either the person they were buying or selling from or to and said to come back a half hour later.0
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From this side of the pond the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" is looking more like the "Land of the Besieged and the home of the Scared of their own shadows".
I'm so glad I didn't move over 20 years ago when I had the opportunity.
I wouldn't want to live in fear.
We don't ALL live in fear, thankfully. Fear is a mindset. The media is good at praying on people's fears and unfortunately, a ton of people have bought into the idea that the world has gone all to hell and that we are all just potential victims. Statistically, you're probably a lot safer than you think. It's smart to trust your gut and to be aware of your surroundings and to have a back-up plan in case something goes down, but to live like a paranoid is just not healthy. I think it's depressing that the OP and her mom now just walk in their yard. What's next? Life in a bubble?0 -
So you take a stroll through a graveyard after dinner? I don't know how you don't expect this to eventually end up being creepy. It could have been anything really. The person in the truck probably wanted to get out and visit a grave but was afraid of the strangers walking around in the graveyard.Every night my Mom and I go walking for exercise around the same time after supper, around 6:30-7:30. We go to a small back parking lot behind a church near our house. We walk through the graveyard to get there.
Here's a perfectly good example of how this wasn't as creepy as you thought. My wife and her father were taking a shortcut past a graveyard one evening and they see someone struggling at one of the grave sites. This person was buried up to their waist in the ground and looking around. They got a little closer and saw it was an older woman. Somehow this lady was buried up to her waist and she was trying to pull herself out of the ground by holding on to a tombstone. This lady finally sees them and starts moaning and making cries for help.
From their point of view it was some sort of zombie lady trying to escape her grave. There were no cars around or any sign of how the lady had arrived. It turned out that she had parked on the other side of a building and walked over there. The poor lady had two artificial legs and stepped in a small hole and went down losing both of her legs a few feet away. She was too weak to get up on something to sit down and reattach her legs.
Of course it looked strange. Everything looks strange in a graveyard. If they would have been in a grocery store it would have seemed obvious to help the lady. At the cemetery they barely had the courage to even approach an old lady.
Your mind is racing from all the movies you've watched. I think you're worried about nothing.
Worried about nothing? You're a male and more than likely able to pretty much defend yourself in any situation. Please consider your point of view on a subject before advising. As a young woman with a ROUTINE, she should ALWAYS be alert and on guard. Not paranoid, but yes, overly alert in situations like that. These are the "small things" that people realize were *signs* after something bad happens.
OP, bottom line- YOUR GUT IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.
1- she was NOT on her routine
2- she was not alone
3- the truck had as much right to be in the graveyard as she did, and did nothing at all that was in anyway threatening to her.
4- I am a woman, so you can't immediately discount my rational explanations as "you don't understand"0 -
So I had just finished work on some electrics on the church and had got into my truck when these two weird women arrive..
They must have been a bit odd as they came out of the graveyard at 7:30 in the evening.
But what was really weird is they stood and watched me for over a minute.
I got so creeped out I left.
Anyway, I went and got my Bigmac and fries and drove back to the parking lot to eat it and they were still there. Walking round in circles. Told you they were weird.
Anyway, I had already turned into the parking lot. I decided not to stay so I was turning the truck round in a big arc when these two woman take off running for some reason. I looked around but I couldn't see what had spooked them.
Anyway, now they had gone I sat and ate my McDonalds.
I was wondering, should I call the police and get them to check out this parking lot. Their behaviour was definitely odd.
Its all a matter of perspective......
:drinker:0 -
May be two people trying to makeout or someone trying to break into the church. It is harder to fight two people? If her gut said to run than run! If the truck came back may be they thought you two would be gone and they/he/she could get back to what they were going to do! Be mindful out there. One time i was at the grocery store when my son was little and a man came up to me asking did I need help.I said no but he kept asking and walking close up behind me with other people around. My gut told me to scream as I stood there trunk open and my son standing near the buggy of groceries. Next thing the police were there. They had been staking out the parking lot as a man was robbing the seniors of their groceries.0
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There's a lot near my house that suspicious looking vehicles park in all the time. I think it's a drug spot in all honesty. I always have some sort of protection, like pepper spray and/or a pocket knife if I am alone running by there.
I wouldn't cut your exercise with your mom in that location out of your routine. It may have had nothing to do with you, but you'll never be sure. Pick some other spots to walk and mix it up. Arm yourself. Good luck.
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You just cant trust anybody today!0
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You weren't there at your normal time and it very likely that the person in the truck was wondering if you were up to some mischief. So they drove by to see if you were still there. However if you are completely freaked out, pick a less creepy walking route, like through an abandoned state psychiatric hospital.0
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...However if you are completely freaked out, pick a less creepy walking route, like through an abandoned state psychiatric hospital.
OMG! :laugh:0 -
50 states, 9.827 million km², 315 million people. Generalizations aren't always all that useful.From this side of the pond the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" is looking more like the "Land of the Besieged and the home of the Scared of their own shadows".
I'm so glad I didn't move over 20 years ago when I had the opportunity.
I wouldn't want to live in fear.0 -
Stay aware of your surroundings, carry pepper spray, and VARY YOUR ROUTINE!. Taking the same walk at the same time just sets yourself up for trouble. Stay safe0
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trust your instincts.0
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No matter who you are or where you live, you have to be aware of your surroundings. I've had to leave places because I saw a turn in the crowd, or felt uneasy, or had someone looking at myself or my child in a way that was more than just "I noticed you or there was nothing better to look at."
That said, freaking out and running seems excessive. I don't really understand why the truck would be so close to you if you felt uneasy with it in the first place, why would you walk anywhere near where it was? Maybe they drove up to you, I don't know, I didn't really follow that. Regardless, it sounds like a truck was in a place that didn't make sense for it to be and you noticed, but then you walked back by it and THAT was a mistake. It was probably just some worker or someone waiting for someone else, on food break, or whatever. He probably left because, as you said, you and your mom stood there staring at the truck for a minute. That would be enough to make me go drive around the block before coming back and enjoying my dinner. Or maybe he ordered food and was waiting for it to be ready. Maybe it was a couple wanting to mess around. There are a million maybes. The important thing is that you are aware of your surroundings and react accordingly. Knowing where sex offenders live is always smart, but realizing that not all of them are equal is also smart. The 19 year old that got listed for having sex with his 17 year old girlfriend is not equal to the 50 year old guy that lures little girls into his truck, or the guy that forced himself on some woman in the alley, so just seeing someone's picture on a list doesn't mean you should automatically freak out and run when you recognize their face on the sidewalk. Just be sensible and vigilant.0 -
Find out what your local gun laws are. If you can ..buy a gun get your CCW and keep it on you when you are walking. Once they see it the chances anyone messing with you is way lower. If you are scared of guns get a knife and proper training how to use it. Self defense classes are awesome. These 3 things can mean the difference between life and death.0
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Trust your instincts. Vary your walking route so if someone where to watch you, it makes it more difficult. Also, if someone is following you/watching you, never run home. You don't want them to know where you live. I am not sure what is close to your house, but go elsewhere.0
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So I had just finished work on some electrics on the church and had got into my truck when these two weird women arrive..
They must have been a bit odd as they came out of the graveyard at 7:30 in the evening.
But what was really weird is they stood and watched me for over a minute.
I got so creeped out I left.
Anyway, I went and got my Bigmac and fries and drove back to the parking lot to eat it and they were still there. Walking round in circles. Told you they were weird.
Anyway, I had already turned into the parking lot. I decided not to stay so I was turning the truck round in a big arc when these two woman take off running for some reason. I looked around but I couldn't see what had spooked them.
Anyway, now they had gone I sat and ate my McDonalds.
I was wondering, should I call the police and get them to check out this parking lot. Their behaviour was definitely odd.
Its all a matter of perspective......
:laugh: :laugh:
:laugh: :laugh: 0 -
I think listening to your instincts is the best thing. If it happens again go/call to the police. Better safe than sorry. I also agree with some of the others, don't walk by yourself, maybe change your routine, keep an eye out for things that don't make sense.0
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I'm gobsmacked by the number of people telling the OP to vary her routine when the entire reason she saw the truck in the first place was that she varied her routine.0
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You were right. You should always follow your gut. If you feel that something is not right, it's not.0
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Trust your instincts. There is always a reason for them. A few things I would personally do is to be unpredictable. A predetor will watch your habits and learn them. Even if it isn't a predetor it is a good practice in my opinion. I would certainly inform suspicious activities if I felt my safety or someone elses is in danger. It may be nothing true, however we do not always know what types of things are going on in your neighborhoods. Specially the larger the town or city the more likely you will not know the person.
Be safe. Follow your instincts. Take your phone!!!0
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