A Dallas-area woman says a man tried to force his way into her apartment in the middle of the day while she was working from home.
Olivia Mack, known on TikTok as @oamack, shared the story in a video that has drawn 354,100 views and more than 40,700 likes. Mack said the incident happened a few days before she posted the video on TikTok.
She said she wanted to share it “just as a good reminder to trust your gut and to always take every safety precaution you can think of before opening the door, letting someone in your apartment.” According to Mack, the encounter began with a knock at her door in the middle of the day.
Woman noticed door handle moving before checking the peephole
Mack said she had just received a package notification and initially thought someone might be dropping it off, though she noted deliveries usually take a few hours to arrive after such a notice. She then said she heard typing on her keypad and assumed it was maintenance, since that was the only time anyone had typed on her keypad in the middle of the day before. However, she said no maintenance visit had been announced.
Mack also said her door handle “was going up and down,” though the door was deadbolted. She said she began walking toward the door to unlock it but stopped. “I just feel in my gut like, check your peephole, you know? Like, there’s a lot of signs that something’s off,” she said.
Looking through the peephole, Mack said she saw a man who was bald, wore glasses and had on a flannel shirt. She said she knocked back to see if he would identify himself or explain why he was there. According to Mack, he did not say anything.
Mack said the man then raised his hands near the peephole and scraped them down the door, leaving marks. “He literally made claw marks in my door,” she said. She said the moment left her frightened, adding, “obviously like my heart sinks and everything starts going through your head like, oh my gosh, I almost let this person into my house.”
Mack said she began having a panic attack. “I’m trying to call my mom, I’m calling my neighbor, I’m calling my boyfriend,” she said, adding that she was trying to reach anyone who could help. Her neighbor gave her the phone number for the apartment complex’s maintenance worker, whom Mack said she called while crying. “Someone just tried to break in, like, I don’t know what to do, I’m really nervous, I’m scared,” she said she told him.
According to Mack, the maintenance worker reassured her that he and a coworker would search the area. “Olivia, I promise you we’re not gonna leave you alone. We’re surveying the area. We’re gonna find him,” he told her, she said. Mack said she confirmed it was the maintenance workers at her door before opening it, then locked her door again after speaking with them.
Mack said her boyfriend also answered her call during his workday and got permission from his boss to pick her up and take her to his home. She said the maintenance worker later called to tell her the man had been caught, and that he had reportedly attempted to enter multiple apartments in the building. Such frightening encounters at apartment doors are not uncommon, as when a Texas woman filmed her neighbor body slamming her door.
Mack said it was unclear how the man got into the building, since entry requires a passcode. She speculated he may have been let in accidentally by someone else. She described the man as “definitely unwell mentally,” saying he had been telling maintenance workers that “someone’s kidnapping kids, someone’s killing kids.” Mack said police responded, but she did not know what happened to the man afterward.
In the video, Mack encouraged others to trust their instincts even when a situation seems ordinary. “It could be the middle of the day and something could seem extremely normal, but always take every precaution,” she said. Trusting her gut may have been wise, as unsettling door encounters have occurred elsewhere, like when a Florida couple faced a woman with a knife, bat, and shovel.
She advised people to contact someone who can help verify a visitor’s identity, such as maintenance staff or security, before opening the door. “Your safety is so much more important than a missed appointment or someone coming to your apartment to fix something or whatever,” she said.
The video sparked discussion in the comments section, with several viewers reacting to the scratch marks on Mack’s door and offering their own safety advice. “my jaw dropped at the claw marks that is horrifying,” one person wrote, while another said, “I’m pretty concerned that you don’t automatically check your peep hole.” One commenter went further, writing, “Don’t even trust maintenance men… I’ve seen too many crime shows where they are the bad guys.”
Other viewers focused on the precautions they use themselves. “Girl use your ring camera, it’s a life saver and you have a clear description and video of who it is how tall what was done. It’s a life saver,” one person suggested. Another offered a different tip: “If you panic, get an air horn & yell you’ve called the police. Glad you are safe.”
This account is based on Mack’s retelling of the incident. Details such as the man’s identity, his apprehension, and any resulting police action have not been independently confirmed, and neither local police nor the apartment complex has publicly commented.
Published: Aug 6, 2026 06:28 am