Sara
The world can be a scary place sometimes.
It is unsafe for everyone, but it is particularly terrifying for women. You can’t even go to the grocery shop at an odd hour without fearing for your life. Every time you leave the house, you are afraid of being attacked, kidnapped, or sexually assaulted by someone, especially if you are alone. This is why women like traveling in groups, or keep their car keys between their fingers when they are walking towards their car. These things happen unexpectedly and you have to be prepared for the worst.
Recently, Haley West, who goes by Haleywestco on TikTok, went through a very horrifying experience. Haley was parked in the parking lot when a man approached her, seemingly trying to hit on her. Haley did not respond to him and went into a store because she felt unsafe. When she finally returned to her car, there was a water bottle placed on top of the hood of her car.
She shared the entire story on her TikTok.
She recalled the whole incident, “I’m leaving Fresh Thyme and I’m parked in this big parking lot. This guy was walking like kind of close to me, kind of not, but you could tell he was, like, staring at me while he was walking, and he yells over to me like, ‘Hey what’s your name?’”
She had the feeling that the man was following her.
“This man walks right up to my car and he’s like, ‘Come check out my car, it’s nice, it’s a Lexus, you like it?’ Like it’s my car! Though, I didn’t react to that, because that would have given away that it’s my car, although I think he already knows.”
Haley then walked into a store in seek of shelter. “I then went across the street to this TJ Maxx. I got help, I made sure he wasn’t still out here.”
That is when she walked back to her car to find the water bottle.
“When I came back out there is a water bottle on my hood. I don’t want that to correlate but that’s never happened to me. I just wanted to say be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially if you’re a woman, be careful out there.”
Another TikTok user Elle, known as Ellessb423 on Tiktok, explained how this was a tactic used by human traffickers.
“This is a tactic used by traffickers and kidnappers to get you to exit your vehicle and take whatever is on top of the car.”
Elle also suggested that you should not drive straight home if something like this happens. You should also get your car checked at a police station or auto shop to see if there are any trackers attached to it.
“If you feel extremely threatened by a person who’s following you, drive to a police station or an auto shop, they can look underneath your car and see if there are trackers there. Yes, believe it or not, GPS trackers can be put on the bottom of your car and they can give out your location for a certain amount of time. Never go straight home.”
Yes, it sounds like something that happens in movies, but this is happening in real life too. “Traffickers don’t care how old you are, they don’t care what you’re wearing they don’t care about your size, if they want you, they’ll try to get you. Always be aware of your surroundings, try to go shop with a friend, I know it’s hard during COVID, keep pepper spray or a protective device on you. Please stay safe,” said Elle.
This is how people reacted to the whole incident:
Some people suggested things that you should do if you are caught up in a situation like this.
Being a woman really can be scary.
Haley updated everyone in the end that she was safe at home!
Were you aware of this tactic? Have you ever been through a similar experience? Share it with us in the comments below.