A Utah woman said in a TikTok video that she felt uneasy after she and her family found their car’s gas cap open outside a Lowe’s and then noticed two vehicles following them into a nearby Costco parking lot. Morgan, who posts as @morg.rust, shared the account from inside her car and directed the warning at people in the Utah County area. The video has gained 77,400 views.
She said the family had gone to Lowe’s the day before to look at a new fridge. The store sits next to the Costco in American Fork. She described the parking lot as “pretty dead” and said it was her, her husband, and their kids. She and her daughter walked in first, so it looked like only the two of them were entering the store.
When they came back out, they saw that the gas cap door on their car was open. Morgan said she did not think much of it at first. Her husband noticed and called it “really weird” because the cap had been closed. He suggested somebody had messed with it.
Family drove next door after noticing two vehicles behind them
Right after leaving Lowe’s, they headed to the Costco next door. While driving over, she said they noticed a Ford F-150 and a red Hyundai with an Idaho plate following them into the Costco parking lot. Her husband stayed back near the door after they went inside to see if anyone followed them in.
Morgan said she and the kids went toward the back of the store. Her husband later told her that two Hispanic men, one in his mid-20s and the other in his late 20s or early 30s, walked in right after them and were looking around. She said they did not see the men again while they shopped in the back. Morgan wasn’t the first Utah woman to report a suspicious car incident, as another woman faced aggressive men after declining help with a tampered vehicle.
As the family checked out and walked past the food court on the way out, she said one of the men was sitting there with no food, just on his phone. She claimed he saw them and started following them out. Her husband walked at the front of the cart with the kids inside while she pushed it.
Morgan said she looked to her left and the man was about three feet away. They made eye contact. She called that “kind of weird” and added, “usually you don’t make eye contact with like people at the stores that often. Especially if they’re like right next to you.” After the eye contact, she said he stopped in his tracks, moved behind her, and acted as if he were going back into the store but did not. He stayed off to the right side.
She said they then saw the other man in the red Hyundai on his phone. The first man later came out of the store as well, also on his phone. She then said the open gas cap plus the sense that the men had followed them left her uneasy. Such unsettling encounters can happen anywhere, as when a Florida woman said her spidey senses went off at Walmart after two men from a gas station followed her.
She stated that if she had been alone, “that could have ended up so much worse. Like that could have had a totally different outcome.” She said she did not know what the men were planning. She added that she had heard of “crazy things happening at this Costco in American Fork.”
Morgan framed the video as a PSA to stay aware of surroundings, especially at that location. She said Utah County is “usually pretty safe” and that people would not really think these things happen in broad daylight, but they do.
Viewers responded with mixed reactions in the comments. One commenter pointed to local gun laws and wrote, “Ladies, Utah is an open carry state. please stay safe!!!!” Another focused on the presence of her husband and wrote, “The fact that these guys were doing this with your husband there…is diabolical.”
A third commenter said the account was frightening and added, “This is so scary and people telling you otherwise are just trying to start problems.” One person urged official action, writing, “The most important thing is to report this to the police.”
Another commenter questioned the conclusions drawn from the encounter. They wrote, “Honestly, this feels a little crazy and almost like racial profiling, especially since none of the men approached or spoke to you. They could’ve simply been talking on the phone or sitting in the food court. Assumptions aren’t facts until they’re proven. If the goal was awareness, that’s valid, but it can be done without profiling individuals.”
A different viewer pushed back against accusations of overreaction and wrote, “bro everyone in the comments saying you’re being paranoid when there’s multiple reports ALL THE TIME especially in that parking lot like better safe than sorry.”
One more commenter expressed support for her caution: “Can’t believe the comments are gaslighting you. so glad that you stayed vigilant. It’s important to stay safe!”
Published: Sep 8, 2026 06:15 am