While TikToker @shae_runs was on a run, she was grabbed by a man and managed to escape from him. She crossed paths with him on the trail she was walking on and noticed that he seemed a little out of place.
She had walked that trail a hundred times. She also happened to have her phone out in her hand that day.
“I never have my phone out during walks,” she said. “I usually have it tucked away, zipped up in a belt bag or something, so when I saw him, I had my phone in my hand, which I never do.”
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. When she turned around, he was already grabbing her. He dragged her about 80 feet to the river nearby, all while she kicked and thrashed.
Since she had her phone in her hand, she attempted to double-click it to contact the police. Her camera was also accidentally turned on, so she was somehow able to take a picture of him.
The picture did not include his face, but it captured the rest of his body. So, she gave a perfect description of the man from the waist down, allowing the police to catch him right away.
Right before they reached the water, he slipped and fell. In a split second, she looked at him and told him to just let her go. They locked eyes for a moment, and then she took off running and screaming.
Someone in the parking lot nearby heard her and rushed over to help. Once the man saw the other person, he darted up a hill. Twenty to thirty minutes later, he was found at a local gas station.
She truly believes that she was being protected by someone out there, whether that may be a guardian angel or some kind of other higher being.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Many TikTok users were relieved that she is now safe and even shared their own stories of narrowly escaping danger while out walking alone.
“Our stories are very similar. Although I was 15 and walking home from school. Thankfully, that was the one day I left my headphones at home! So glad that I had the awareness because of that,” commented one user.
“I came close to being grabbed at Stony Brook State Park by a man [who] I saw leaving a house on a road adjacent to the park. I think it was my dog that gave me the advantage, then my evasive actions after he walked out behind me. I’m so glad that you got away. I wish I could walk with you,” wrote another.
“I was also attacked while walking in a very similar situation! Thankfully, I screamed at him, and he got spooked and left. I also no longer enjoy walking, but I still do,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
