Brooklyn woman reportedly encountered a masked man who chased her. She says she made it to safety just in time: ‘I could see the evil in his eyes’

A Brooklyn woman says she encountered a masked man on a New York City street who suddenly chased her after she tried to avoid him. TikTok creator Maia (@maiashaki) described the alleged encounter in an August 2026 video and said she made it to a nearby building, where a security guard helped her reach safety.

According to Maia’s account, the man stopped about 6 feet in front of her. She said he wore a white hoodie, blue jeans, and a face covering that exposed only his eyes. She estimated that he stood about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed no more than 145 pounds.

Maia said the incident happened while she was walking through Brooklyn. Her caption says it happened in the Fort Greene neighborhood and that she filed a police report.

Maia said she immediately assessed her surroundings and decided not to walk directly past him.

Maia then described checking her bag for her keys and reaching for an alarm attached to them. She then said she tried to make it appear as though she intended to walk around a large, gated landscaped area. According to her account, the man reacted by running after her.

Maia said the man then yelled that she was trying to run from him and threatened to catch her and punch her. She said he chased her, as she tried to change direction and get away.

At one point, Maia said she reached a building with a security guard. She asked to enter. She said the guard let her inside after witnessing the situation.

Maia described herself as shaking and crying after reaching the building. She said she later hid inside because she worried the man could see her through the building’s glass.

She also said the security guard told her he had seen the man before and believed he was harmless. Maia disagreed with that assessment, saying the encounter had left her frightened even though she escaped without physical injury.

The video also included Maia’s broader message about trusting her instincts. She said she believed her intuition warned her not to walk past the man. “I could see evil in his eyes,” Maia said. She later urged viewers to pay attention to their surroundings and instincts when they feel threatened.

In a separate case, the alleged Brooklyn encounter comes days after Philadelphia police began searching for a masked man accused of threatening and chasing pedestrians near City Hall. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, a woman was chased around 5:30 a.m. Aug. 12 near 1500 JFK Blvd.

Police said the suspect wore a white, baby-doll-style Halloween mask with black hair and a black-and-blue plaid backpack. Investigators said he approached multiple people, both men and women, before fleeing into SEPTA’s Suburban Station.

Police said the suspect asked one woman, “Are you ready to die?” before she fled and, while doing so, suffered an injury.