I used to live in an apartment alone one year in Ohio, in college. Two days in a row, a car driven by a chauffeur drove very slowly, seemingly following me. There was a guy in the back seat. The second time I stayed several hours at my neighbor’s, as it cruised by my house a few times. Did not happen again.Was the guy after me, a not unattractive but skinny long haired male? For a while, living in that somewhat depressing house gave me the creeps.
For months, a Seattle police car would park almost behind a lumber yard building across the street from my girlfriend’s apartment. He couldn’t see the street from where he was, so he wasn’t trapping speeders. He kept coming back, so it wasn’t a strategic pursuit location. It was a marked car, so it wasn’t a stakeout. He always left an hour or so after she got home (3 or 4 AM, she worked at a nightclub).
I finally confronted him. He got out of the car as I approached and told me to leave. I asked him what he was doing here at the lumberyard and he told me to leave right now. I asked him for his name and badge number and he put his hand on his hip next to his pistol.
I walked away. He never came back.
Most women I know have had at least one stalker in their lives. I dunno if it’s the rain here or the excessive supply of used The Cure tapes or what.
I know that when I’ve pined over lost or unrequited affections in the past, the most effective cure was to get a date with somebody else. So, ladies, if you want to do your part to reduce stalking and obsessive romantic behavior, start asking out moody guys who stare.
I was walking home late one night, it was kind of chilly, so I put my jacket hood up to keep me warm. As you do.
There was a pretty girl across the road from me, walking the same direction, on her own.
Unfortunately, I desperately needed to go number two, and even though I wasn’t far from home, it was far enough. So I was looking for a spot where I could at least stop and gather myself. So I ducked into the schoolyard and waited in a shaded corner, willing my body to calm itself, as it were.
I saw the girl pass by the school, and she was clearly shit-scared, glancing wildly around, nervous, and walking fast. And I realised what it was she had seen.
A tall bearded man in a hood that had been walking, keeping up with her, ducking into the shadows and ‘disappearing’.
I felt really guilty. I wanted to run up to her to tell her not to worry, but that would’ve been the worst thing I could’ve done.
So I just stayed in the shadows for a further ten minutes so she’d know I wasn’t anywhere near her.
-PIGEONMAN-
Hero For A New Millennium!
The Legend Of PigeonMan - updates every Wed & Sat
I guess you could call it that, although it was really pretty mild.
I went on a double date with a friend the purpose of which was to allow him to meet a friend of the woman whom I escorted that evening. Anyway, she was a visual knockout and I kind of hit it off with her, but she was his date so I left, considering it a night of good chuckles and nothing more. When I got home, my phone rang, and I answered and the caller hung up.
The hang up calls were daily from that point. A few days later I walk out of my place and notice this gal driving down my street (one block residential street - shortcut to nowhere) and I wave and she looks straight ahead. The next weekend my friend tells me he asked her out and she spent most of her time asking him about me. He tells me to go ahead and go out with her if I want.
Well she was a cutie and I’d enjoyed the evening with the four of us, and I hadn’t connected any dots yet, so I asked her out. Turns out that, one-on-one, she’s a bit of an odd bird; she cannot stand any eye contact (holds her hand over her eyes and looks down), has an intense relationship with her cat, I can’t remember a bunch more right now, but you get the drift.
So I went out with her ~5 times over ~2 months and came to realize it was too weird for me. So I broke it off. Meanwhile, the hangup calls have been a daily thing this whole time, and, before the last time I went out with her, I noticed her parked in a loading zone across the street from the entrance to my building as I left work. She took off like a shot when I looked over at her.
The next year the calls continued unabated, and she was a not unusual sight driving past my house. There was a pub I frequented at the time and I noticed her there one night, sitting at a table by herself. I waved, but she looked away. When I left there was a note under my wiperblade, but it had rained and I couldn’t read it. A month or so later I saw her again at the pub and went over to her table, but she hooked’em. I saw her one more time at the pub, and I walked up behind her, not realizing it was her. She turned around and I said “Hi!” We had a weird and thankfully brief conversation which I broke off quickly because I realized she was hyperventilating. She left.
The trips down my street - well, I’d say I saw her ~25 times during that year. One night I had gone to bed, but got up to get a drink, but didn’t turn the lights on. I noticed her car parked across the street from my house, running, lights on. She stayed a few minutes then left. About ten minutes later (about right for her to get home) I got a hangup call. I had long since figured them out, and they’d extended their reach to my office. No real harm done, but annoying.
Last chapter. After a year of this I go to a party given by the mutual friend who’d tried to set her up with my friend. Oddly, another squalid phase of my ne’er do well love life began at this party, but that’s another tail. She’s there and we exchange pleasantries and that’s about it until she comes and tells me that her ride left and asks if I can give her a ride home. No biggie, it’s on the way, etc. The ride is OK, but when we get to her place, she will not get out of the car. She tells me she’s going home with me - period. I go around to her side and try physically removing her and realize that it’s 1:00 AM in the Montrose and, should a cop witness this scene of physical conflict 'twixt man and woman, the guy’s going down first.
OK, well, what to do? I tell her she’s home now, and she’s not coming into my place and she grabs the steering wheel. So, I drive home and tell her I’ll call her a cab, but don’t come in. She hops on my back sort of monkey backpack style and, well, gains entry. So I decide I’m just going to ignore her until morning. Needless to say she follows me to bed and attempts to force herself on me. Well, I’m a guy, I hear the call to duty and…NO! Sorry, I tell her, I just can’t get through this.
Morning was quiet and I gave her a near speechless ride home. A few days later I got a card in the mail from her with a sort of poetic summation and never heard from, or about, her again (1983-84).
Did I answer your question, sunbear?
An aside just occurred to me. One of my friends had a daughter with whom I was acquainted from birth and enjoyed a relationship as “Uncle” beatle. He told me they were talking one day when she was four and she said, “Daddy, do you know where beatle lives?” He replied, “Sure, do you want to go over and see him?” And she said, “No, let’s just drive by.”
When I was thirteen, my family used to go swimming at the university gymnasium. After we had been doing this for a while, this old man started following me around. He’d always be keeping an eye on me. I would be in the shallow end, and he’d be there. I’d get out, and jump off the diving boards for a bit, and within a couple of minutes, he’d be there too, acting all casual-like. I’d leave the diving boards and go float in the therapy pool, and he’d show up there. I’d decide I’d had enough swimming for the day, and go to the locker rooms, and he’d follow me, right up to the door. My mom and dad never saw any of this, because my dad was usually doing laps and my mom was keeping an eye on my six year old sister. If either of them did show up, he’d usually find somewhere else to be until they were gone. Finally, after this had been going on for several visits, I told my dad about it. He watched the guy, saw what he was up to, then had a few words with him. I have no idea what he said, but I never saw the pervert again. Thank goodness.
“That’s entertainment!” —Vlad the Impaler
Stalked all of one car chase. I was in an adult bookstore (now don’t pretend that the rest of you never rented/seen adult videos) and made a rental. I walked out, got in my car and started driving home which was about 20 minutes away. After 10 minutes, I notice a car following me, but I think there was no way that could happen, that I was being paranoid. I was wrong. He changed lanes right with me, and stayed behind me when I slowed down to 40mph. Then I knew he was following me. Not wanting this person to know where I live I pull into a gas station and he does likewise. I go in and he walks in behind me and buys a pack of cigs and walks out. I try to take my time in the store, browsing and whatnot, and this guy is waiting in the parking lot! I buy a soft drink at ask the clerk if he has ever seen that guy before, hoping that maybe the guy lives around here and is a regular to the store thus I am paranoid. Wrong again. He never saw him before, so I walk out, put my stuff in my car and walked right up to this guy and I ask him “Why are you following me?” He tells me he saw me in the bookstore and he thought I was “good looking” and he thought that maybe if he played his cards right he might be invited inside my place to watch the video. Well, he was harmelss and to be honest I was sort of flattered, I told him that I am a straight man and to put it delicately, would not require his services. I did not yell or curse or threaten, I just refused poilitely and he said he was sorry if he alarmed me and drove off. Needless to say even though I was 2 minutes from home I drove around for another 10 checking my rear mirror. No car.
I guess you don’t get to be a pervert if you are too shy. Other than a peeping tom.
beatle: I would have taken your crazy woman over a man anytime. But it did go on, so I guess it could have messed up somebody less confident than you.
Anybody been tailed by cops or private eyes?
Tailed by cops or private eyes? I tell you, the more I read, the more I realize that I have lived a pretty mundane life.
The closest I’ve ever gotten to be stalked was a guy I broke up with who kept calling me. Boring. Anyway, I’ve probably been closer to being a stalker than stalkee. In high school, I had a crush on my sophomore English teacher and my friend and I would drive by his house repeatedly…
Roachman, you might have had a brush with the Green River killer.
That guy was no cop . . . .
Yea - by an ex boyfriend. And it’s still going on.
:::snicker:::
I have already posted the details in the past, but yeah, I was stalked by a WCW pro-wrestler (he also played a few character parts in movies) for quite some time.
I had to do the whole restraining order thing and tricked him into leaving the state, but I still think some of the hang-up calls are him.
>^,^<
KITTEN
Please tell your pants it’s not polite to point.
Yes I have been stalked. It is still going on. To make matters worse, he is one of my soon to be ex-roommates. I am so happy that I am moving this coming week. He does not know where I will be living, nor will I tell him. I have never dated him, had sex with him, or done anything other than go out to dinner with a large group of friends and have him tag along. It started innocent at first. I always sleep with my door closed. He would open my door in middle of the night when I normally would be asleep and stare at me for about 15 minutes or so. I don’t know how many times he did it before I started waking up. I thought I was dreaming for a long time until I started locking my door. He then would pick the lock (typical house lock only needing a small flat head screwdriver to turn the mechanism inside) and open the door and stare at me. It reminded me of a Robert Howard (or whatever the proper name for the original author of the Conan stories was) Cthulhu story. He really creeps me out. Sometimes he can be alright, but since I realized that he was doing this type of thing, I stopped talking to him. He knew I was going to buy a house (I stopped it for more than one reason; however, this played a big part) and he would go and sit out in front of it for hours on end, before I even moved in. He said he was trying to guage the neighbors, but I think he was practicing for what he would inevitably do when I moved away and did not want to have anything to do with him anymore. I will not have a listed phone number nor will I tell him my forwarding adress, but I know he will find out eventually. Lately, he has even been getting a hold of my friends and asking them about me. It is very creepy. (I know I have said that already.) His main problem is that he has incredibly low self esteem, he is actually fairly attractive, but his creepiness factor overshadows anything else that will ever happen with him. I can’t wait to move away and be done with him forever.
HUGS!
Sqrl
Gasoline: As an accompaniement to cereal it made a refreshing change. Glen Baxter
Big night for me. 2 postings. I want to hear more on this subject.
Two things: I have been pursued by a girl I didn’t care for, while we both lived in the same co-ed dorm. It was probably funny to others to see us; she’d invite herself into my room and snuggle up next to me. I’d find an excuse to get up, then reseat myself elsewhere. Within moments she’d scoot over and be all over me again. Yeesh. Finally got rid of her by getting a mutual friend to talk to her.
Also, I have been followed in a car by a jealous ex-husband. Messy. She got a call from the gate at her complex that he was there; I had to get dressed and bail, quickly. Well, apparently he’d seen my car, cuz when he left, he didn’t leave the complex. He stayed parked across the street while she and I…um, talked. When I came out, his car started up.
Fortunately, his junker was no match for me, and I ditched him pretty easily. Still, pretty nerve-wracking.
And yes, he was an EX-husband.
Once, in high school. The girl was a real nutcase. I finally got all of my friends together and told them to follow my lead. I announced to the nutcase that I was gay and quite happy with it. My friends were only too happy to help out when they heard what I told her. Turns out she was a bigger homophobe than she was a nutcase. She cussed me thoroughly and I never heard from her again. I felt bad for lying, bt some people just don’t understand “no”.
Roachman, you might have had a brush with the Green River killer.
That guy was no cop . . . .
can you give me more info on this “killer” i’m intrigued…
i am special. i am cool. i am doper 3000!
Wow, at the same time I consider myself both lucky and insulted. So many people seem to have stalkers, but I don’t. What gives? How come you get all the nutcases? Grump.
Now, I can understand how some of those people might be scary (having a cop parked across from my house would definitely scare me). Now I’m getting the full body shivers.
All through my childhood years, I attended private Catholic schools. From first through third grade, I walked home by myself from school everday (later we moved and I rode the bus with my little sister). One day, three or five teenage girls (probably only 15 or 16) stopped me, and asked me a bunch of questions about where I lived, what I liked to do etc. They also took a bunch of pictures of me.
They ‘ran’ into me at least three times on the way home, the last time they asked if they could give me a ride home the next day. They didn’t give me a ride home - although I watched for them. A couple days later I ran into them again and they asked why where I had been! It turns out they assumed I went to the local public elementary school. I never saw them again.
Ok, I know this is wierd. But I remember a couple years later being told it was very significant if a stranger wanted to take your picture (this is probably why it stuck in my memory). Even now, I cannot exactly understand it. Why did these teenagers give a damn about an eight year old? Why did they keep running into me (I did not know them, and it was a reasonably small town. They were definitely not from my neighborhood). Why did they want to give me a ride home?
Even at the time, I felt a little spooky about it, but moreover I felt completely powerless. Had they pulled up in a station wagon (no mini-vans then!) and told me to hop in, I doubtlessly would have. I don’t like to think about what might have been then…
Were these just some harmless girls just babying a cute little kid (I have to admit I was cute as hell). Today I know lots of girls this age (through my fencing club), and cannot imagine any other motivataion for them. How can a sixteen year girl be a stalker? My memories of these particular girls are quite different tho…
I will never really know the truth. Until now, I had not contemplated the possiblities for finding out, but now I think they are quite useless. Hypnotic regression is the only technique I have heard of, and to say that I scorn it is an understatement. Well, now a bunch of strangers know a story of a stranger that he never told anyone else. What could be stranger? 
The only stalking incident I can think of is that I was getting hang up calls every day for a couple of years. I finally realized who was doing it when after I moved, I gave my new phone number to my ex-husband so the kids could call here. That very same day, the hang up calls started up. At first, I thought it was the ex doing it, but I found out later that it his current girlfriend. I also caught her cruising by my house a few times. I was talking to a mutual friend of me and my ex one day and he said he knew about her doing this, the reason being was that she was totally convinced that her boyfriend (my ex) was seeing me on the sly and she was trying to catch him. It finally stopped after about two and a half years. She never did anything threatening, I think she was just so paranoid that he would come back to me that she felt this need to keep tabs on me.
Shadowfox
“We are what we pretend to be.”
- Kurt Vonnegut
Yes, and it was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. It was like trying to pin down oxygen. Not the least of it was the fact that it was subtle enough that the overworked cops couldn’t assign it high priority.
I work in the public eye, and that makes you a target. Forget appearance, “asking for”, etc.; this isn’t rational and the biggest problem is approaching it rationally. None of the “excuses” “explanations” are ever valid for stalking, but it sure as HELL doesn’t comfort the stalked.
I don’t even remember meeting the twerp; at some time I talked w/ him in an official capacity. That’s what makes it so damned scary; the encounter was everyday I don’t even remember it. It’s like every monster you ever dreamed, swimming out into real life. That’s where the terror is: no cause.
He called, he found my home phone number and address, he prowled around work and I didn’t sleep well for about 6 months. Condensing a lot, small things started being moved around the outside of my house, the dog restless, footprints under windows, etc.
What finally ended it was my taking a job in city administration. A newbie (and female), I finally broke down and asked the Police Chief for help. Let me tell you, cops are heroes and friends. After yelling at me about for not reporting it earlier, I had cops patrolling and the stalker left for easier prey.
I don’t know what moral there is in this. The cops did their flat best when I finally admitted how scared I was. And I don’t know how easily most stalkers are discouraged. All I know is it was a pure nightmare and I never want to live through it again.
Veb