1 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:08,759 Speaker 1: This happened during a road trip I was taking on 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,560 the way back from seeing my family for the holidays. 3 00:00:12,919 --> 00:00:15,080 I'm not usually one to drive more than a couple 4 00:00:15,119 --> 00:00:18,600 hours because I much prefer flying, but this year the 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,280 tickets to where I was going were way more expensive 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:23,960 for some reason. It would have cost me over a 7 00:00:24,039 --> 00:00:27,079 thousand bucks for a round trip flight that only went 8 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:31,519 a few states over. I had planned everything out so 9 00:00:31,559 --> 00:00:33,520 that i'd get home a few days before I had 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,359 to go to work, but a snowstorm blew in on 11 00:00:36,439 --> 00:00:38,560 the day I was going to leave, so I had 12 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,920 to stay an extra two days before finally starting the drive. 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,719 The roads were empty since it was past the holiday rush, 14 00:00:47,119 --> 00:00:48,840 and most of the drive is pretty out of the 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,119 way from the big cities. The hardest part of it 16 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,000 was always staying awake and fighting the boredom. The first 17 00:00:57,039 --> 00:00:59,880 eight or so hours went by without any trouble, though 18 00:01:00,479 --> 00:01:03,000 sure I was tired, but the snow on the road 19 00:01:03,159 --> 00:01:06,840 kept me awake and attentive. It was about ten p m. 20 00:01:07,159 --> 00:01:09,599 And I had a hotel booked in a small town 21 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,680 just two hours further ahead. But as I drove, a 22 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,120 small light came up in my mirror. It was the 23 00:01:17,159 --> 00:01:20,439 headlights of someone behind me, which was actually the first 24 00:01:20,439 --> 00:01:22,640 person I'd seen on the road with me in over 25 00:01:22,719 --> 00:01:26,920 an hour. Their lights were getting bigger quickly, though, showing 26 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,680 that they were coming up really fast, and soon I 27 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,000 could see that it was actually a large van of 28 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,760 some kind. It was only a one lane road, so 29 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,920 I couldn't get out of their way, but I figured 30 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,640 they would still swerve around me, given they were going 31 00:01:41,719 --> 00:01:45,439 so fast. Once they reached the back of my car, though, 32 00:01:45,719 --> 00:01:50,079 they matched my speed and stayed behind me. After a 33 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,959 few seconds, I realized they weren't trying to get around me, 34 00:01:53,599 --> 00:01:57,480 and we drove like that for almost ten minutes. It 35 00:01:57,599 --> 00:01:59,920 was kind of unnerving, being that it was only us 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,200 on the road, and yet this huge van was trailing 37 00:02:03,519 --> 00:02:07,560 right behind me. It wasn't a normal following distance either. 38 00:02:08,319 --> 00:02:10,759 They were so close that I couldn't even see their 39 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,439 front bumper or license plate in my mirror. Maybe I 40 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,159 was quick to feel uneasy about it, But an exit 41 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,680 came up for a gas station, and I chose to 42 00:02:20,719 --> 00:02:23,280 turn off, hoping they would stay on the road and 43 00:02:23,319 --> 00:02:25,960 that I could put some distance between us. But as 44 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,280 I veered off and down the exit ramp, they stayed 45 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,840 right behind me. I pulled into the gas station and 46 00:02:33,879 --> 00:02:36,400 parked at one of the pumps as the van pulled 47 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:40,520 into the pump behind me. At this point, I just 48 00:02:40,599 --> 00:02:44,159 didn't know what was happening. Part of me thought that 49 00:02:44,199 --> 00:02:47,159 this was something bad, but another part of me thought 50 00:02:47,159 --> 00:02:50,400 I was just overreacting. I knew that this was the 51 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,439 only gas station in the past thirty ish minutes, so 52 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,639 it wasn't all that unlikely that they would also need gas. 53 00:02:58,319 --> 00:03:01,120 Before getting out to fill up my tank, I shut 54 00:03:01,159 --> 00:03:04,919 my car off and looked around the store. Part of 55 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,159 the gas station had its lights off and a closed 56 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,960 sign hanging from the door. I looked to the sides 57 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,360 of it, seeing nothing but empty darkness, no houses, no buildings, 58 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,039 just a field covered in snow with a single road 59 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,599 going through it. I looked in my mirror. A man 60 00:03:26,719 --> 00:03:29,599 was now standing outside of the van and putting gas in, 61 00:03:30,159 --> 00:03:34,520 so I got out and began doing the same. As 62 00:03:34,599 --> 00:03:37,560 the numbers slowly ticked on the gas meter, the man 63 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,680 quickly put his pump back and sealed his gas cap. 64 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,800 I looked over seeing him walking to the back of 65 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,560 his van. Then I heard the loud ratcheting sound of 66 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:52,319 the back door being lifted open. There was something in 67 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,800 that moment, maybe a gut feeling or just an instinct 68 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,840 of some kind, that told me to get out of there. 69 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,400 I pulled the pump out of my car, and not 70 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,039 even a second later, three men were sprinting at me 71 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,319 from around the back of the van. I dropped the 72 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,719 pump on the ground and quickly got in my car, 73 00:04:12,039 --> 00:04:14,360 locking the doors just as one of them grabbed the 74 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,920 handle and tried to rip it open. I was shaking 75 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,199 and moving as quick as I could to get the 76 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,759 car on. All three of them went around, trying each door, 77 00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:28,560 but then immediately sprinted back to their van before I'd 78 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,560 even had the chance to pull away. When I did, though, 79 00:04:32,879 --> 00:04:35,680 I saw them drive away soon after, going in the 80 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:40,519 opposite direction, down the way we had come from. I 81 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,399 let the police know what happened, but never even got 82 00:04:43,399 --> 00:04:47,600 a call back with any updates. I think it's obvious 83 00:04:47,759 --> 00:04:50,279 they were trying to abduct people under the cover of 84 00:04:50,399 --> 00:04:57,160 night on the vast, unpopulated highway. What's terrifying is how confident, 85 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,120 and for lack of a better word, profession the whole 86 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,920 operation was. It seemed that as soon as they realized 87 00:05:04,959 --> 00:05:07,360 I was securely in my car, and it wasn't going 88 00:05:07,399 --> 00:05:11,040 to be effortless. They fled the scene without even needing 89 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,279 to communicate with each other. It was like they had 90 00:05:14,319 --> 00:05:19,319 done it many times before. What would have happened if 91 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,120 they'd gotten me I don't know, but I urge everyone 92 00:05:23,399 --> 00:05:26,199 to learn from my mistakes, because you may not be 93 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:44,600 as lucky as I was. In twenty nineteen, I did 94 00:05:44,639 --> 00:05:48,240 deliveries for a pizza place near my school. I'd work 95 00:05:48,319 --> 00:05:50,839 most days after class so I could afford to pay 96 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,040 for my car and rent. It wasn't a great job 97 00:05:54,199 --> 00:05:56,959 in any aspect, but it was good enough to get 98 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,759 me through college without being completely broke. This night was 99 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,920 no different than most in the beginning. I clocked in 100 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,399 at six and delivered for three hours straight, then took 101 00:06:08,439 --> 00:06:11,120 a lunch break and started again. At nine point thirty, 102 00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:14,720 I picked up the next order and started heading to 103 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,639 the place. The address didn't look like a house, but 104 00:06:18,759 --> 00:06:20,959 the route it took me on to get there was 105 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,560 not what I was expecting. It took me further out 106 00:06:24,639 --> 00:06:28,519 from town, away from most houses and stores, and into 107 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,839 a business center. It was an area full of small 108 00:06:32,879 --> 00:06:37,959 office buildings and nothing else. I drove down the road 109 00:06:38,199 --> 00:06:40,920 and couldn't really tell what any of the addresses were, 110 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,040 so I just followed the directions on the GPS and 111 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,519 hoped it would take me into the right parking lot 112 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,000 when I turned in, I drove through a pretty long 113 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,920 parking area until I reached the front of the building 114 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,480 and could read the address. It matched up with the 115 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,279 one on the order, but something was off off. The 116 00:07:01,319 --> 00:07:04,839 parking lot was completely empty, not even the street lights 117 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,920 were on, and the office building had no signs of 118 00:07:07,959 --> 00:07:12,560 anyone being inside. I double checked the address, thinking there 119 00:07:12,639 --> 00:07:15,279 must have been a mistake, but it all checked out. 120 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,800 I even tried searching it on Google for any places 121 00:07:18,839 --> 00:07:22,480 nearby with the same address, but no, this was it. 122 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,439 I set my car and park and got out, glancing 123 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:30,959 around before walking up to the door. It was a 124 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,079 glass door with a dark tint covering it. I knocked, 125 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,800 then took a step back and waited. It only took 126 00:07:39,839 --> 00:07:44,399 a moment before the door opened. It was a middle 127 00:07:44,439 --> 00:07:48,800 aged man wearing very casual clothes and holding a small 128 00:07:48,839 --> 00:07:54,199 grin on his face. He suddenly got overly excited and 129 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,000 said he was happy the food had finally arrived and 130 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:01,959 that everyone was hungry. I looked behind him, not seeing 131 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,000 anyone else and only a single light on in the 132 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,199 middle of the hallway, but I ignored it and just 133 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,120 told him his total. He must have realized what I 134 00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:14,480 was looking for, though, as he quickly explained that everyone 135 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,800 else was in the rec room on the third floor 136 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,639 for a company party. I smiled to be polite, but 137 00:08:20,839 --> 00:08:23,879 the man was talking with an overwhelming amount of excitement, 138 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,439 so much so that it almost felt like he had 139 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,279 to be faking it. He pulled out his wallet and 140 00:08:31,399 --> 00:08:34,279 handed me cash for the pizzas, along with a ten 141 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,759 dollars tip. But as I took the money, he asked 142 00:08:37,759 --> 00:08:41,679 me for a favor. He wanted help bringing the pizzas 143 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,399 up to the third floor. The man had put me 144 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,720 in a strange position. Having taken the generous tip already, 145 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,600 it felt like it would only be right to help him. 146 00:08:53,919 --> 00:08:57,399 On the other hand, though carrying a few pizzas isn't 147 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,799 exactly difficult, and it didn't seem necessary by any means. 148 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,600 He started walking without me having answered, yet urging me 149 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:08,639 to follow him. As he made his way to a 150 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:14,080 door leading to some stairs. I trailed behind, keeping my 151 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,799 distance but following him into the stairwell. As I entered, though, 152 00:09:19,159 --> 00:09:22,039 I felt a cold rush of air and noticed all 153 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:25,039 the lights were off. Only the small light from the 154 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:30,120 hallway lit the entrance to the stairs. The man started 155 00:09:30,159 --> 00:09:33,519 making his way up, but stopped once he realized I 156 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:38,000 hadn't continued following him. He turned and made a humorous 157 00:09:38,039 --> 00:09:41,720 remark about the lights, but his grin was quick to 158 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,120 leave once he saw that I wasn't going to follow 159 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:50,799 him anymore. There was no hesitation as he came rushing 160 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,759 down toward me with anger in his eyes. I tossed 161 00:09:54,759 --> 00:09:57,399 the pieces on the ground, rushing out of the door 162 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,639 and into the hallway, then running for the end and 163 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:05,039 bolting to my car. I saw the man come partly 164 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,480 out of the front doors before going back in and 165 00:10:08,519 --> 00:10:15,600 slamming them shut. I immediately called the police after driving 166 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,279 to a different parking lot. The man had run off 167 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,080 by the time they got there, and since he paid 168 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,000 in cash, there was no way to know who he 169 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,960 really was. The office building was empty, though, and there 170 00:10:29,039 --> 00:10:32,120 was nobody else on the third floor, so it's clear 171 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,000 that it was just some sort of trap. What he 172 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,679 had ready for me on the third floor is unknown, 173 00:10:40,399 --> 00:10:56,840 and I hope that nobody ever has to know. I 174 00:10:56,919 --> 00:11:00,919 worked for my dad at his small construction business. He 175 00:11:01,039 --> 00:11:04,240 runs a yard and warehouse full of materials, as well 176 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:08,080 as manages the job sites the workers are at. Since 177 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,639 I was only seventeen at the time, my job was 178 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:14,279 to basically be the errand boy. I'd drive materials back 179 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,399 and forth and pick up anything that was needed depending 180 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,120 on the job, though, some materials would need to be 181 00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:24,080 there before workers arrived because they would need them so 182 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,039 they could get to work right away in the morning, 183 00:11:26,919 --> 00:11:30,120 so every once in a while during busy weeks, I'd 184 00:11:30,159 --> 00:11:33,879 have to start work really early, like two or three am, 185 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,320 to make sure I could drop everything off in time. Obviously, 186 00:11:38,399 --> 00:11:41,159 this was only during the summer when I didn't have school, 187 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,960 so I really had no excuse for not being able 188 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,039 to work. I liked doing the deliveries early though, because 189 00:11:48,039 --> 00:11:50,080 it was calm and I didn't have to deal with 190 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:54,519 anyone telling me what to do. On this day, I 191 00:11:54,639 --> 00:11:57,519 arrived at the warehouse at three am and loaded up, 192 00:11:57,879 --> 00:12:01,080 then started making my way to the job site. It 193 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,600 was a repair job on an old, maybe even abandoned 194 00:12:04,759 --> 00:12:08,759 building at the edge of our town. When I got there, 195 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,639 I saw a truck parked right outside. Its lights were off, 196 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,600 and it didn't look like anyone was nearby. It was 197 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,399 way too early for anyone to be working, so I 198 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,879 wasn't expecting to see any cars here. I parked and 199 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,600 got out, walking up to it and seeing that it 200 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,799 wasn't a company vehicle either. The windows were tinted and 201 00:12:31,879 --> 00:12:35,879 I couldn't see inside. I turned and looked at the building, 202 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,799 trying to see if anyone was here. I called out, 203 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:45,600 asking if anyone was inside, but got no response. Feeling 204 00:12:45,639 --> 00:12:48,120 a little weird about it, I pulled out my phone 205 00:12:48,279 --> 00:12:51,440 and called my dad. It rang for a minute, then 206 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:56,000 went to voicemail. Figuring it was probably just a worker's 207 00:12:56,039 --> 00:12:59,240 personal truck that they'd left there. I went back to 208 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:04,600 my truck and started unloading the materials. It took probably 209 00:13:04,639 --> 00:13:07,480 an hour. Then I got back in and started to 210 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:11,600 drive off. As I left the area, though, I looked 211 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:16,000 in my rear view mirror and suddenly the truck's lights 212 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:21,200 turned on. I practically slammed on my brakes, stopping on 213 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,039 the side of the road and watching as the truck 214 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:29,039 started to back out. Someone was in there. The whole time, 215 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,240 knowing that I was sure that it couldn't have been 216 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,159 a worker because they definitely would have responded to me. 217 00:13:37,759 --> 00:13:40,200 I sat and watched as they made their way out 218 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,000 of the parking area and onto the road. I grabbed 219 00:13:44,039 --> 00:13:46,960 my phone and quickly dialed my dad's phone number again. 220 00:13:48,639 --> 00:13:51,559 While I waited for him to pick up, I looked over, 221 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,799 seeing the truck had stopped right next to me. I 222 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,840 stared at their window, knowing someone behind it was probably 223 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,879 staring at me. I tossed my phone on the seat 224 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,919 and started to drive forward, but the truck was quick 225 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,840 to match my speed and prevent me from getting back 226 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,480 onto the road. But there was nowhere else for me 227 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:17,240 to go. To my left where trees, and to my 228 00:14:17,399 --> 00:14:22,120 right was this truck blocking my way. I started to panic, 229 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,039 putting the car in reverse and trying to back up. 230 00:14:26,039 --> 00:14:28,639 The truck did the same until they tapped to the 231 00:14:28,679 --> 00:14:32,120 side of my car, making me lose control and slide 232 00:14:32,279 --> 00:14:35,320 completely off the shoulder and hit the side of a tree. 233 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,480 The truck quickly stopped right at the top of the 234 00:14:39,559 --> 00:14:42,279 road as if they were going to get out, but 235 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,399 then their brake lights suddenly turned off again as they 236 00:14:45,399 --> 00:14:50,120 put it back and drive and sped away just Twenty 237 00:14:50,159 --> 00:14:53,159 seconds later, another car pulled up to the side of 238 00:14:53,159 --> 00:14:55,320 the road and a man got out and ran up 239 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,000 to me, asking if I was okay. I didn't know 240 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:00,960 his name at the time, but it was one of 241 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,559 the workers that was just arriving at the job site. 242 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,080 He only saw the last bit of what happened, but 243 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,279 said he recognized the other truck as Samuels, who was 244 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,000 another worker my dad had hired a few months ago. 245 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,759 As it turned out, a bunch of tools and materials 246 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,919 were missing from the job site, adding up to almost 247 00:15:20,919 --> 00:15:24,519 ten thousand dollars, and that's only from that one night. 248 00:15:25,279 --> 00:15:27,600 He could have been slowly stealing a few things at 249 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,879 a time over the past few months. I think what 250 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,519 happened that night, though, was that Samuel thought that by 251 00:15:35,559 --> 00:15:38,480 me seeing his truck, it would eventually all get traced 252 00:15:38,519 --> 00:15:41,480 back to him and he'd get caught, so he tried 253 00:15:41,519 --> 00:15:44,600 to stop me. I don't know what he would have 254 00:15:44,639 --> 00:15:47,720 done to me, but considering I was the only witness, 255 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,600 it's likely that he wouldn't have gotten caught as long 256 00:15:51,639 --> 00:15:56,799 as I was never seen again. Unfortunately, though, his name 257 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,399 and everything else didn't add up to anything, and it 258 00:16:00,519 --> 00:16:03,679 was likely he was either an illegal immigrant or some 259 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,240 kind of felon that went through the effort of getting 260 00:16:06,279 --> 00:16:11,159 fake or stolen ideas in work documents. I was never 261 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:14,480 expecting something like that to ever happen, but at least 262 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:18,120 it's really unlikely that I'll ever see that man again.