Yesterday I took my dog outside and noticed a red truck parked across the mouth of my driveway. I looked over at the driver, who was staring intently at my house. When he saw me, he looked down at something in truck and pretended to be doing something else. I dismissed it, although creeped out, and went back inside. I assumed he was dialing his cell phone or checking driving directions or something. A little while later, I went back outside to go to my car, and he was still there! I quickly got in my car to leave, but as soon as I started the engine, he pulled his truck directly behind my car. I turned to look at him, and he was just staring at me. I pulled forward and drove on my lawn to get to the street, and he followed me up two streets and then suddenly turned the other way and drove off. I looked in my rearview mirror to see where he went, and I saw a police car coming up the road! I think he’d been following me, but panicked and drove off when he saw the cop.
I talked to the police yesterday afternoon, and told the people I live with to keep an eye out, but I’m seriously freaked. I slept horribly last night, and jumped at every tiny sound. This sucks.
Do you live alone? If so, can you have someone move in with you for a big. Or take the dog and stay at a friends for a while. I did that with a particularly persistant ex boyfriend (I wasn’t afraid of him, I just wanted to avoid a scene) and moved in with my parents for a week.
Worse comes to worse, you could always move to another town and get an … alias.
Sorry, had to be said. I’m not minimizing the creepiness factor of this in any way. Just keep the police and your neighbors informed and you’ll be fine.
No, I don’t live alone, but I was alone when it happened. The police told me to call 911 immediately if I see the truck again, so I feel a bit safer now. The part that scares me the most is that I saw the driver of the car, and I didn’t recognize him at all. Somehow that makes it scarier.
Why would an insurance investigator block her into the driveway?
Why would they be so blatently watching/following her? I thought the whole point of their jobs was “intelligence gathering” which means “don’t get seen watching”?
Be careful alias. Can you get a good camera set up to tape the street, maybe start it rollling if you see him again? Try to get his plate numbers next time if you can, or snap some photos with your cell phone if you can do it while keeping him oblivious of the fact that you got his picture. I’ll send good thoughts and prayers for your well being your way. Good luck.
No, nothing like that. I even considered the possibility that I was late in a car payment. No. Even if I was, why would the guy take off when he saw the police? It just felt all wrong.
Well, it’s been two days now, and nothing more has happened. I know the police are checking up on the house periodically because I see them drive by a few times a day. Hopefully, this is over, but I’m still being careful and very, very vigilant. I’ve also realized now just how many red trucks are in my city. Every time I see one, my stomach jumps a little.
Give your local battered women’s shelter a call. The one in my town hands out a kind of stalking kit with helpful information, pepper spray, a cell to call 911…some other stuff.
Well, my uncle suggested that I tell the newspaper, and my mother suggested that I talk to my neighbors so that they’re aware that there might be a weirdo in the neighborhood. I think I’ll do that tomorrow.
This all happened on Thursday, and so far nothing more has come of it. I haven’t seen the truck again, and I’ve been checking regularly. My doors are all always locked now, I don’t let my daughter play outside alone anymore, Harborwolf is worried so much that he calls me several times a day, and I’m really annoyed that my security has been taken from me by some jerk I don’t even know.
Don’t worry, I’ll keep posting in this thread if there are any developments, although I’m not sure about every twenty minutes. . .
Thanks for the support. I appreciate it.
I’m resurrecting this thread because the plot thickens. Last night, I was talking to a girl who lives a few blocks from me, and she told me that there was a strange truck parked in her driveway for half an hour last week. When her stepfather was called over to investigate, the man in the truck quickly explained that he was looking at the cars parked in front of the house because he was interested in purchasing them for his daughters. Suspicion arose because this house is on a dead-end street, and the cars are not for sale.
Very freaky.
I would amend this advice to suggest that you NOT be surreptitious at all. Bring out the biggest camera with the brightest flash you have, and snap away. Also make a show of writing down his license plate number. You’ve done the right thing by looking right at him, so continue making it abundantly clear you can identify him. If you have the nerve, you could even tell him you’ve already reported him to the police.
Although at this point, if the police specifically told you to call them if you see him again, then go ahead and do that discreetly so he won’t leave before they show up.
