About two years ago, TikToker Peyton Williams (@peyton_m_williams) was nearly kidnapped at Denver International Airport. Now, she’s warning travelers to pay close attention to their surroundings.
So, she had been visiting family for the weekend and was traveling solo. She had a red-eye flight going from Denver to Tampa on a Sunday evening. She got dropped off at the airport at around 11 p.m. The airport was empty. No stores or restaurants were open.
She reached her gate, and no one was there, which she found a little strange. She thought she was just early. It turned out her gate had changed, but she didn’t know that yet. She sat down in a seat close to the window, listening to a podcast and watching videos.
Before she knew it, a man came up to her and stood directly in front of her. He asked where she was traveling to, pulled out a cigar, and lit it.
Her guard immediately went up, and she simply told the man that she was traveling home. She refused to give him any more details, as she was not comfortable talking to a stranger.
She scanned her surroundings, looking to see if there were any other people in the area. The man kept trying to interrogate her. Suddenly, another man appeared and sat down two seats away from her.
The second guy told her that his friend had asked where she was traveling to, and it was rude for her not to respond. Then, a woman came up behind her, so now, she was trapped.
They were getting angry with her for not talking to them. She started to pack up her stuff and documented what was happening to her family and friends.
She sent voice memos, describing the situation, and these people could hear everything she was saying, but she didn’t care.
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Peyton started to walk away, but the woman grabbed her arm and insisted she come to the bathroom with her because girls always help each other out. Of course, she refused to engage. They all continued following Peyton and kept pressuring her to answer their questions.
“I rip out of her arm, and I sprint down the airport,” recalled Peyton. “I told them what happened. They kept me safe. They got an air marshal involved. It was this whole thing.”
They looked back at the camera footage and saw that Peyton had been targeted by the group. Those people had been following her the moment she entered the airport.
The airport officials could not confirm exactly what was going on, but there was enough reason to suspect that something fishy was happening.
Personally, Peyton no longer travels alone at night for her own safety.
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
