How Did a Florida Woman Handle Being Followed to an Elevator?
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Images courtesy of @therealshwilson / TikTok

Florida woman gets into a parking garage elevator after birthday dinner. Then a man starts following her: ‘There was black SUVs’

“It could have gone so bad.”

Shannon Wilson, a TikToker, recently shared a harrowing and vulnerable experience she faced in a Florida parking garage. The TikTok post has since racked up over 501K views on the platform. In her post, she kept the message simple but urgent, writing, “Be so so careful”.

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In her video, Wilson explained, “I was at a networking event and went to a friend’s birthday dinner. At this point, it’s 11 at night, and my friends drop me off at the parking garage, which is where I parked my car.” According to her, it was a familiar garage, so she walked in confidently. Wilson claimed that as she passed the front desk, she passed two women who complimented her outfit. 

As she reached the elevators and hit the button, though, Wilson alleged a man joined her. She claimed that they had an awkward conversation where he mentioned overhearing the compliments and she tried to remain polite. Then she alleged, “We get in the elevator. And I hit the third level for me. And I said, ‘ Where are you headed?’ And he said, ‘I’m not here for my car. I’m here for you.’”

Looking for Safety

Wilson noted that it was at that exact moment the elevator doors shut. It was a fast elevator, and she had to process the weight of what he had just admitted. Wilson explained her perspective, stating, “He left his car to come and follow me in. To then get in the…. We’re in the elevator, just him and I. And I’m thinking to myself, and I’m trying to just go with the flow and not make any issue.” Please note, we only have her version of the story and cannot verify the same.

She noted that fortunately, when the elevator doors opened, there were some kids getting into their car nearby. “I knew at this moment, this was my only chance to, like, get out of this situation with this man, or I would be alone with him on the third floor of a parking garage,” Wilson claimed. 

Wilson claimed that she walked over to the kids and asked one of them to talk to her, explaining that she was uncomfortable because the man had followed her. The kid was incredibly helpful, confirming that the man had just hit the down button after Wilson moved away.

Wilson claimed that she asked the kid to stay until she was safely inside her vehicle. “I quickly glance over at the elevator as the [door] are closing, and I see his face,” she told her viewers. All she had was one thought, “I really hope he doesn’t know what car I’m driving.” She then noted that she gave the kids a thumbs up, sharing, “I literally feel like it was, like, a saving Grace.” 

“The next thing I thought was, is this guy gonna wait until I get out of this parking garage to know what I’m driving to then follow me?” Wilson claimed, “I left the parking garage. I was incredibly aware of, like, what was around me. I knew there was black SUVs before, so I was looking around for cars maybe behind me that were of a similar look.” 

Wilson was confident no one followed her home, but was incredibly shaken, “I am beyond grateful, but I am absolutely terrified that that just happened. And it happens all the time.”

Wilson’s viewers flooded the comments section with support. One user noted, “‘I’m here for you’ gave me the chills. Straight out of a horror movie. Sorry you had to go through that.” Another commenter offered advice, saying, “call the garage manager and get a photo of him and report him to the police just to have him on file.” Others praised the bystanders, with one person writing, “shout out to that kid for realizing how scary the situation was for you.”

Safety experts emphasize that awareness is key. According to the DeSoto County Sheriff, habits like scanning the area and walking with confidence are not guarantees of safety. For instance, a woman was followed home from the gas station despite clocking a creepy man. However, they are a first line of defense. 

The sheriff’s office advises that if you are leaving a business late at night, you should ask a security guard for an escort. DeSoto Sheriff also warns against following someone who offers to show you the way, as predators often use this to lure people into less crowded areas.

Wilson’s experience reminds us that even for those who pride themselves on being self-aware, danger can arise anywhere. As she put it, “This is literally a blueprint story of what a vulnerable position I was in. It could have gone so bad.”


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Jaymie Vaz
Jaymie Vaz is a freelance writer who likes to use words to explore all the things that fascinate her. You can usually find her doing unnecessarily deep dives into games, movies, or fantasy/Sci-fi novels. Or having rousing debates about how political and technological developments are causing cultural shifts around the world.