A Boston woman says she narrowly escaped what she believes was a trafficking attempt by an unnamed man during a first date at a bowling alley. Joanne Gabriel shared the story in a TikTok video, with the on-screen text saying, “I almost got s*x trafficked in Boston.”
As this is a TikTok video, it is the poster’s own account of events and should not be treated as verified fact. Gabriel said she met the man at a Home Depot, where he approached her while she was shopping for a power pack for an outdoor worship event she was organizing. She said she found him friendly and gave him her number when he asked for it.
The two exchanged texts, and Gabriel said the first warning sign came early. He asked where she lived before asking much about her as a person. She said she pushed back on that. “If you’re trying to get to know me, that’s different from knowing where I live,” she said in the video.
Gabriel says she was pressured to drink an open cup of water after leaving it unattended near a group of men
Gabriel said they agreed to meet at a bowling alley at 5:00 p.m. She said she texted him that she would arrive around 5:15 as she was running late, and he said he would be there. When she arrived, he was apparently not at the entrance. She said she noticed a man repeatedly glancing at her while she waited inside.
She said she eventually received a text from her date asking where she was. Shortly after, she said, a group of three to four men walked past her and told her someone was waiting downstairs. She added that she went downstairs and found her date at the entrance. He apparently gave her roses and they went upstairs to the arcade and bowling area. Cases of men displaying predatory behavior on first dates have been widely discussed online in recent years.
Gabriel said he then got her a cup of water from the bar, and it was an open cup with no lid. She said they set the cup down on a table and went to play arcade games. Gabriel added that the same group of men she had noticed earlier was positioned nearby, with a clear line of sight to their table and the cup the entire time they were away.
When she and her date returned to the table, she said he immediately grabbed the cup and pushed it toward her, urging her to drink. “Before I could even sit down on the chair, he’s already grabbing the water and forcing it into my hand so I can drink it,” she said.
She said that moment stood out to her because the cup had been left unattended and in plain view of the group of men. She said she chose not to drink the water. Unlike in a separate incident, an 18-year-old said she went numb after accepting a stranger’s drink while out clubbing.
She said her date appeared nervous after she set the cup back down and kept glancing toward the group of men. She began texting friends, alerting them that something felt off. Shortly after, her date said he needed to step away to get bowling shoes and walked past the group of men on his way.
Gabriel said she watched him stop, greet one of the men, and speak with him for over a minute. “It was almost like he was giving him instructions,” she said. After that exchange, she said the group of men left the area entirely.
Gabriel said she finished one round of bowling before telling her date she had to leave by 7:00 p.m. She left while, she said, he was at the customer service counter trying to get a refund. Before driving away, she said she dropped the roses he had given her in the parking lot, saying she was concerned even those could have had a tracking device on them. She then blocked his number.
“I knew that this was a setup,” she said. “They were planning to roofie me or whatever, drug me, and then take me somewhere.” Gabriel said she shared the story as a warning, particularly for women in Boston who she said had already been talking about a trafficking scheme in the area. “Be strict on your boundaries and be very discerning,” she said, “because not everybody has a pure heart.”
The video drew a strong response in the comments. “Omg I’m so sorry this happened to you, that’s terrifying! This is exactly why my friend group shares location! The tracking is necessary! Thank God you are safe,” one user wrote.
Another commenter, kimfields, wrote: “You never drink any drink after it leave your hands. As matter of fact I do bottle water everywhere.” A third commenter urged Gabriel to “file a police report with a sketch immediately.” Gabriel replied directly to that comment, saying: “I filed a report today!!!”
Published: Jul 13, 2026 04:08 am