People Describe the Most Terrifying Thing That Happened in Broad Daylight

Christopher Shultz
Updated November 7, 2017 75.4K votes 14.1K voters 764.3K views
Voting Rules
Vote up the most chilling, terrifying story that took place in broad daylight
We tend to think of awful crimes and creepy encounters as happening in the nighttime, when shadows are dense and visibility low - but this group of Reddit users recount their hair-raising experiences that occurred in broad daylight, on busy streets and in populated, well-lit establishments. Here are some of the creepiest things to have occurred in the middle of the day.
Photo: Pacific Coast Highway / Wikimedia Commons
  • 1
    5,185 VOTES

    Creepster Goes After Kid in a Mall

    "I was 10 or maybe 12 years old. My mom took me to the mall so she could go to the Target. There was a baseball card/comic book store right next to the Target, and while she shopped I got to go look at the collectibles. While I was looking at the cards in the case, a guy came in. He looked around for a minute, then approached me and asked if I liked baseball cards. I said that I did, and he said he had a Babe Ruth card in his van and asked if I would like to see it. We were right at the counter and the clerk was right there, but I got a real creepy vibe from this guy. I said no and left the store to go back to Target and find my mom. I looked behind me as I walked into Target, and sure enough, he was following me. I was starting to get a little scared, so I turned into the women's underwear aisle, thinking he wouldn't follow me. He kept after me until I finally found my mom. I never told her about it because I didn't want to scare her. At the time I thought maybe he wanted to steal my $10, but now I'm pretty sure he wanted more than $10."
    5,185 votes
  • 2
    5,756 VOTES

    A Very Protective Father

    "I was taking my kids for a walk in the park near our apartment once, when a guy and a woman came out of the tree line suddenly, and the guy said to give him my wallet and anything else in my pockets. He had some weird screwdriver / knife thing, and I pushed my daughter, my eldest child, behind me. I was going to do the same for my son, but the woman grabbed his other arm, and my heart felt like it was going to explode. For some reason, I suddenly forgot about self-preservation, jumped forward, and broke the woman's nose. I felt a sharp pain under my ribs and saw that the man had just shanked me, but at this point two other guys who had been jogging were running up and shouting. 

     
    The police that patrolled the park showed up not long after that. I was sitting and trying not to bleed to death. The man had ran off and his screwdriver was still in me. The woman was on the ground, crying and shouting because I had also knocked the top front of her teeth loose / out. The two joggers were originally asking the woman if I was the assaulter. but the situation cleared up soon. I got taken to the hospital and questioned about the incident. There was a while when it looked like I was going to be charged with battery for the woman, since it turned out she actually had a decently well-off family, was just an addict. They tried to sue me, but it was thrown out of court and she was sentenced for attempted kidnapping.

    "I had a tube in my chest for two weeks after my surgery to remove the shank, but it all cleared up after that. Just glad my kids are safe."

    5,756 votes
  • 3
    4,178 VOTES

    Kidnapper with the Yucky Eyes

    "When I was 3, someone tried to kidnap me from a shopping centre. I had been standing next to my mum, when some random guy grabbed me by the wrist and started making a fast move to the exit. Even nearly 30 years later, I can still remember this vividly, from what he looked like to being too scared to say anything as I was being led out whilst frantically trying to look for my mum. Luckily enough, mum had spotted me and screamed as we were next to the exit, and he let me go and ran out. I had nightmares about the man with the yucky eyes for years after this."
    4,178 votes
  • 4
    4,211 VOTES

    A Proposition to Play "Final Fantasy"

    "When I was really young, a guy stopped me when I was leaving school and asked if I liked PlayStation and Nintendo. I told him I did, and that I really liked Final Fantasy. He said, 'What a coincidence, I have that with a TV in my van. Wanna come play?'


    "I told him I had to ask my mom first, and to stay there. I ran home and called my mom to ask, and she told me to lock the door, get in the basement, and don't open the door for anyone. She explained what was happening to me when she got home, and once I knew, I was pretty freaked out."

    4,211 votes
  • 5
    3,331 VOTES

    A Stranger Harasses a Jogger

    "A couple of years ago I was jogging in the centre of my town, as usual, when I realized I was being followed by some guy I had never seen. 

     
    "He kept trying to talk to me, and at some point he grabbed me from behind and went full molester on me. I shook free then started screaming, knocking on the hood of a car passing by. He ran away, never to be found. 

     
    "I couldn't jog for over a year, but I did eventually resume."

    3,331 votes
  • 6
    2,733 VOTES

    Unprompted Swiss Army Knife Stabbing

    "An addict wanted money from me down town, but I literally had nothing but my clothes on me. So I said sorry man, all out.  

    "Dude lumbers towards me slowly, pushes me over, and stab me in the thigh with a Swiss Army knife.  

    "I booked it to the hospital for stitches. Didn't hurt until I actually looked at it. Adrenaline didn't stop pumping for a very long time.  

    "A lot of are people asking, 'Why didn't you run if he was lumbering towards you?' 

    "Well, I was 13, he was a full grown adult, I had a bad haircut, he pulled a knife on me, I froze in fear."

    2,733 votes