Can I get some opinions on what happened to me tonight?

[SOR]

Something odd and a little scary happened to me tonight. Here's the story:

I was coming home from work tonight (my train came at around 12 AM) and I began the 30-40 minute walk home. Usually nobody is out but it's Saturday so you have a couple of drinkers but I live in Australia so generally most people are pretty relaxed and non confrontational (At least in my city)

So everything is sweet until I get 600-700 metres from my house and this car drives past me. It turns around and pulls up maybe 5 feet behind me. I continue walking thinking that it's probably some dude trying to get me to run home or something by scaring me and impressing his drunk mates. I continue walking up the street and the car still is tailing me from directly behind (Literally maybe 10 feet max)

So I get near my house and slow down because I don't know who this person is and don't want them knowing where I live. I am freaking out at this point because I think I'm about to get robbed and I hear this chick singing from the car (She was the driver, I think) at this point I'm thinking the worst and didn't really appreciate someone trying to intimidate me or have a joke at my expense by attempting to scare me so I pull my phone out and dial emergency services.

Now once I pull the phone out this woman talks to me from the car saying things like "We just want to make sure you get home safe" and asking me if I'm okay. As soon as I ask the emergency operator for the Police the driver takes off and I walk home very confused about the situation.

I talked to my friend about it on Facebook and he's a lot more street smarter than me and he thinks the girl (Who was about my age from her voice at least) wanted to make sure I got home safe. I personally think the girl was trying to intimidate me because if you want to make sure someone gets home safe you're probably pulling up beside me and offering me a ride. Regardless, who randomly makes sure strangers get home safe other then the Police?

What do you guys think? This isn't really a high crime area but it does have some crime from time to time. Am I overreacting? Should I feel bad for calling the Police on someone simply attempting to be a good citizen? Did I do the right thing? I'm interested in your view point.

[BRAINFADE]

Honestly, I'd say don't worry about it. Nothing bad happened to you, the driver didn't see where you lived or anything, so everything should be cool. Maybe she was genuinely making sure you got home safe, but didn't want to offer a ride to a stranger.

[StuntGranny®]

It sounds like someone was just being an ass/trying to f*** with you. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Deleted]

You hit the nail on the head. A drunk looser girl was trying to scare you to make her looser friends laugh. When they saw you calling the cops they just tried to get out of trouble.

It happens a lot really. When guys or girls cant pick up, they tend to get stupid.

[Deleted]

I don't think someone singing would be an attempt to scare you, were there other people in the car? Maybe it was someone trying to make sure you got home ok.

[Deleted]

Hmm..that's a tough one.

The singing thing is weird, but to be honest, I've known girls whose maternal instincts kick in at the strangest times and get protective of random strangers.

Or maybe she thought she knew you from somewhere (or mistook you for someone else) and slowed down to see if you were who she thought. After realizing you weren't she got embarrassed and said she was just trying to make sure you got home ok.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Mistaken identity would be my bet.

Probably thought you were someone she knew and so followed you for a laugh (which also explains the singing since the friend would probably find it funny) and got all flustered and embarrassed when she realised she had the wrong person, hence the lame lie to cover it up.

[Red Impact]

I think they were drinking, thought they'd have some fun doing dumb stuff, and decided it'd be funny to freak you out. They probably saw you calling someone an decided to try to cover their asses.

I don't think they intended anything malicious. If they wanted to genuinely intimidate you, they'd probably be doing more than just slowly following you, and the singing makes me think they were just trying to have a good time. You did the right thing calling the cops, but I wouldn't worry about it further.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

I don't think she really meant any harm. I certainly don't blame you for calling the cops since you can never be too sure but I don't think she was trying to rob you or anything.

[Thaal Sinestro]

U didn't overreact in the slightest. If someone's following you and you don't know who they are you have every right to be suspicious.

[Deleted]

Nah, you reacted fairly well. She was likely trying to cover up a mistake or being drunk, etc. as others have said. I think it would make more sense for her to roll down her window and ask if you needed help or a ride if she was really concerned about it.

Doubt you have anything to worry about but I think you handled it correctly.

[Legion]

Maybe she wanted some action and was trying to pick you up?

[Deleted]

If they were genuinely concerned for you they'd just pull up normally and ask if you were ok but with the singing part, really seems like they were asses trying to scare you

[Deleted]

Either trying to scare you, bug you, drunk, or thought you were somewhere else. Only other thing I could think off is the chick thought you are hot and she is so I ally awkwardly dumb in approaching someone

[Piccolo]

I think she probably wasn't a threat, but you didn't overreact. Better to call for help unnecessarily than die because you fooled yourself into believing a situation was less dangerous than it was.

I have a similar problem with feeling like I'm overreacting... this week, I was in Germany for a business trip, and was getting back via the train after dark in a fairly unfamiliar town. One night, I'm walking the half-mile to my hotel from the station, and a man walks past me with an indistinct, rectangular, dark object in his right hand. I watch in the reflection of the glass on the storefronts (as women often do when walking alone at night) just in case, and could literally feel the jumpy adrenaline rush when he spun around about five feet past me and started walking behind me. I kept looking back as subtly as I could, but I think he realized I was worried, because he took off across the street and walked on the other side instead. I immediately felt a little guilty, but whatever. Walking alone at night, you have to be sure you're aware of your surroundings and prepared to deal with them.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

You're an actor right? Maybe she recognized you as "that guy from that thing" or something and wanted to make sure.

[Deleted]

It was early on a Saturday morning.


She might have thought you'd been out drinking so slowed down to see if you were ok, then when you started freaking out because of her she thought you were acting weird because you were inebriated in some form and she was genuinely concerned.


Or maybe she was a drug dealer who had agreed to drop something on your street and she thought you were her client but she wasn't quite sure, which would explain her driving off when she worked out it wasnt you and you were calling the police

Or maybe she was looking to pick you up and have sexual relations.


point is theres 100 different things it could have been. You'll never know, but no harm came to you so I'd try not to worry too much. You said it yourself you live in a safe neighbourhood, if you look at the averages of the way the world works chances are more likely she wasn't trying to harm you

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Jan 11, 2014 11:05:00 GMT -5 @nyg1970 said:

I don't think someone singing would be an attempt to scare you, were there other people in the car? Maybe it was someone trying to make sure you got home ok.

If she was singing Nickelback, then maybe.....

Anyway, yah, just some drunk loser. No worries.

[Sam Punk]

Sounds like a prankster to me.

[Instant Classic]

All jokes aside