Chicago woman realized a man was following her to her apartment. What he wasn’t expecting was her next move

A Chicago woman named Monica Fitz said she trapped a man who appeared to be following her into her apartment building’s stairwell, then went to building security and later called the police to escort her safely inside her unit. The incident, which she documented across multiple TikTok videos posted to her account @monicabfitzz, has since gained more than 2.5 million views.

In the first TikTok video, Monica Fitz described noticing the man’s behavior as suspicious from the moment they were both in the elevator together. According to Fitz, when she pressed her floor button, the man did not press any floor button. She said she asked him which floor he was going to, and he did not respond.

When the elevator doors opened at her floor, Fitz said she turned around, as she claimed she always does, and noticed the man walking in her direction. She said she recognized most of the residents on her floor and did not know him. Knowing there were only three apartments at the end of the hallway, and that he was not a resident of any of them, she said she chose not to go into her apartment.

Monica Fitz said she used the stairwell’s lock system to trap the man, then walked back up in the elevator

Instead of entering her unit, Fitz said she walked into the stairwell, aware that once inside, a key is required to re-enter the apartment floors. She said she began walking downstairs, and when she reached the ground floor and turned around, the man was walking behind her in the stairwell. Cases of men allegedly following women in public spaces have been documented in other incidents across the country as well.

Fitz said she then exited the stairwell, took the elevator back up to her floor, and began walking toward her apartment. At that point, she said she saw the man’s head appear through a small window in the stairwell door, apparently looking out into the hallway. She said she stepped back so he would not see her, then went down to the building’s front desk.

At the security desk, Fitz said she made a complaint, but felt the response was inadequate. The building’s security guard, whom she described as a woman, offered to walk with her. Fitz declined, saying, “Girl, the f** you gonna do? Respectfully, I could do probably more damage than what you’re gonna do.” She added that if the man had a gun, “we’re both goners,” and instead asked the guard to simply log the complaint while she found police to escort her.

In a follow-up video, Fitz said three police officers arrived and searched the stairwells to check whether the man was still in the building. The officers then walked her into her apartment. “I kind of felt bad,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, we didn’t need all of you. I just needed 1 person to escort me.'” She confirmed in a comment reply that the police came, searched the stairwells, and escorted her into her apartment.

In a third video, Fitz said the building’s cameras were reviewed and that reports were made. She then visited a store called Belmont Army, described as an army surplus shop, where she said she purchased two self-defense items, a cat-shaped keychain designed to be used like brass knuckles, priced at $10, and a pepper spray keychain, for a combined total of $24. Women are increasingly sharing their experiences of being followed or watched in stores as awareness of such incidents grows online.

“I could have been did this,” she said, expressing surprise at how affordable the items were. Fitz said she planned to keep both items accessible in her bag. She demonstrated how she would use them together, saying, “Mace, then stab. Mace, stab. Mace, stab.” She also addressed viewers who might suggest that, as a boxer, she should be able to handle herself physically. “If a man has a freaking gun or a knife, what am I supposed to do?” she said, explaining why she felt additional tools were necessary.

Viewers in the comments urged her to call the police, with one writing, “No you need to call the cops. That’s scary af!” Others praised her awareness, with one comment reading, “Your situational awareness and discernment is top tier.” Another viewer warned, “He’s trying to figure out which apartment specifically is yours. Stay safe.”