UPDATE: I posted on Nextdoor for my local neighborhood. Girl was identified and someone reached out to her. She said her phone had died, she got turned around and just needed directions. But she made it home ok!! :)
True story, by the way. This happened to me earlier tonight.
Mid-size city, 500K people. Suburbia area. Well lit. Good part of town. Next to parks, schools, etc. Nice weather.
9:30 tonight (Sunday), I was in the house putting away some laundry. I heard the doorbell. I didn’t think anything of it, because I have been getting lots of amazon deliveries.
30 seconds or so later, a knock on the door. Wow, delivery guy is def letting me know I guess.
So I finish folding my laundry, go to front porch. Probably 5 to 10 minutes since knock on door. No package. Weird.
I check my porch camera and it shows a teen girl, maybe 15 or so, out of breath ringing the doorbell. She’s wearing pajama bottom pants, shoes, hoodie and a backpack. And she says to herself, “I need help. This is terrible.”
She sets on my front step for a few seconds, gets up, then knocks on door. Looks around. Then leaves.
After I see vid, run to sidewalk… look up and down. Nothing. I run back in, put shoes on, go out and again, looking. Nothing.
I call 911 tell the police what happened, they send someone out, but they don’t get here till about 30 minutes later. So basically police show up a full 45 minutes after the girl knocked on my door.
While waiting for police, I see neighbor, 2 houses down, pulling out of driveway. I run up to him, show him vid, tell him what happened, he says he’ll check his cams, but he didn’t get a knock or doorbell ring.
I’m kicking myself that I didn’t at least check the porch cam right when doorbell rang. I legit can not stop thinking about that girl knocking on a strangers (my) door hoping I would answer.
She was out of breath, but wasn’t banging on the door extra loud or anything. No crying. And I have neighbors all over and across the street. And just a block down is a 7-11.
So it probably wasn’t super serious (I hope!), and maybe she just lost her phone or something (I hope!). But I can’t sleep thinking about it.
I posted the vid to my local nextdoor community webpage, posted on facebook, etc. All in the hopes that someone will recognize her.
What would you guys do in this situation? Anything I could have done differently (other than answer the door)?
tl;dr: I ignored doorbell thinking it was just amazon package. Check porch cam later and realize it was teen girl saying she needed help and that something terrible happened. Police didn’t arrive till 45 minutes later and no sign of girl.
Oh wow no fucking kidding you’re a goddamned boomer. Not like you could smell it instantly in this “Please tell me how I can feel less guilt doing exactly what I want when I want with no thought to the outside world or other people in it” post.
lol don’t tell me to ‘step back’ you entitled sack of shit. Your post is EXPLICITLY TITLED so as to ask how to even further insulate yourself from the outside world in the context of ‘oops I might have let someone in distress needing help die. Please tell me what I could have done OTHER THAN SEE WHAT WAS OUTSIDE MY BUBBLE’
And you’re continuing to respond as if the only thing the outside world does is provide you treats. It couldn’t possibly be an actual person. And even if it is they can fucking wait! I’m the fucking center of the universe! How DARE someone come to my CASTLE and deign to demand MY audience on a schedule outside my own convenience!
I’m not making you feel better about your anti-social (please look up the difference between this word and asocial. You’re far too old to be this poorly read) and narcissistic behavior? Well that’s what you came here looking for! That’s the POINT of the post!
I understand this post better than you do because I see you from outside. I’m explaining to you how you’re sick in the fucking head based on your own words, and even your response to my observations.
Oh I’m sure you have quite the social life at your leisure and on your terms. You are after all the center of the universe, aren’t you?
A woman was looking for help and in distress, but “I talk to people all the time!” Fucking incoherent response.
“Dude”
Actually early retirement. I’m not a boomer.
What?! What are you even talking about? It didn’t say anything about insulating myself from the world. I go out all the time. You seem ill.
What are you going on about?! Dude, do you realize that Amazon doesn’t wait for us to answer the door? They leave packages and then leave. What makes you think I was intentionally making anyone wait?! lol
Again, you need to read the fucking post, guy. When I went to get my package, no one was there. Then I check the cam and saw her. I didn’t ignore her. I didn’t know she was there.
You are so in the mood to be mad about something, that you didn’t even read the post.
Also, i’ve already added an update. She was fine. My gf’s friend took the vid and identified her on the Nextdoor app and she reached out to say she was fine and her phone was dead.
You literally ranted on and on about nothing. What’s it like being so angry all the time? lmao
This. Just block and move on. jfc some people have issues.
“YOU’RE NOT DOING THINGS THE EXACT WAY I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD BE DOING THINGS, WAH WAH”
Who thinks they’re the centre of the world here exactly?
Edit/P.S. Glad everything worked out - and I not only wouldn’t have answered the door, but wouldn’t have bothered to check the camera after either. It’s always door-to-door bs of one form or another around here … or car thieves.
Thank you!
Yeah, the whole experience has taught me something. There def is a danger of people baiting. See someone in distress, answer door, then boom, two people off to the side rush in. Hasn’t happened in my area yet, but even on the Nextdoor app, people were weary of it.
So I’ll find a happy inbetween. I think from now on, as soon as I hear doorbell, I’ll check cam and just talk to person thru the cam and if it’s someone in distress, let them know that police will be here shortly.
Unless daytime. I’m out and about in my yard pretty often during the day, and I feel pretty secure. But I was pretty disheartened at how rough the Nextdoor crowd was–and the video was on there, so they saw the girl. Some were understanding, and like I mentioned, one happened to be a friend of my gf, and managed to track down the girl through her social contacts.
But I’d say vast majority were saying, “Scam! Good thing you didn’t open door!” lol