Man followed my car into garage last night!

[jenrose66]

Wow that's really scary. I'm sorry, I don't really have advice as to what you could carry. I guess pepper spray, maybe keep a weapon in your car?

I know your husband was behind you so that's why you got out of the car. It's always important to be aware of your surroundings. Do you have a motion light on your garage...it not I'd get one so you're not surprised in the future if this guy is stalking you. I would also make sure that you triple check that all entries and windows to your house are securely locked.

 

[bellebud]

ACK! How scary!!

I had read about people rolling into the garage as the door is closing so you are trapped in the garage with them, so I tend to leave the door up when I get out of the car. Then I close the door and watch it go down so I can be sure nobody is in the garage when I unlock the door to the house.

This presents a whole other dilemma.

I posted this before, but I know everyone doesn't read the whole thread.

I BACK IN the garage, stay in my locked car till the garage door closes. I also have motion lights outside the garage. Outside lights are our friends.

It's also safer in the morning when I'm leaving - I have full attention and view ahead of me. I would be harder for someone to jump out and startle me, and even if they did, I can just keep driving easily forward and away from the house.

 

[wenrob]

ACK! How scary!!

I had read about people rolling into the garage as the door is closing so you are trapped in the garage with them, so I tend to leave the door up when I get out of the car. Then I close the door and watch it go down so I can be sure nobody is in the garage when I unlock the door to the house.

This presents a whole other dilemma.

With the sensors in todays garages that seems highly unlikely. Your garage door would stop the second someone tried. I've had leaves or paper stop mine.

 

[T16GEM]

Wow this is very scary! I am glad that your DH was followig and you had the quickness of mind to call 911.
I would have been freaking out!

 

[Bren's Mom]

Wow, op, scary!!

I would not have left my car, just locked the doors and stayed inside of it...and leaned on the horn. That noise in a garage is deafening, most likely for a neighbor to hear THAT and think there was an accident or an alarm going off and take action.

Glad you're ok!

 

[wilderness01]

That is absolutely frightening. I'm so glad you are okay AND that they caught the guy. I hope he was breaking his parole or something and that they keep him behind bars.

I always try to watch my garage door close once I've stepped inside the house to make sure the garage door closes all the way and that no one sneaks in through it. I always thought I was just paranoid, but apparantly it's not a bad idea. And after hearing this I may start closing the garage door while I'm still inside the car. I've noticed that our neighbors do that, but I always thought they were just being unfriendly and didn't want to talk .

I do this all the time, especially at night when I am coming in alone.

 

[Carly_Roach]

DH has always told me that a woman's attitude is her #1 most valuable crime prevention tactic. A woman behaving in a self-assured, confident manner is less of a target than one who skitters along, glancing at shadows and is seemingly afraid of everything that moves.

The self-assured woman is a question mark to the preditor: he doesn't know what she knows and she may be getting her confidence from the weapon in her handbag or on her person. The woman behaving nervously tells the preditor all he needs to know: she's already scared and will be easy to control. Soft target.

In the OP's case, I'll agree with the majority of posters who mentioned that she needs to update her garage with motion detector lights. You should never be coming home to a dark garage or house. Preditors look for cover and you're offering them fantastic cover with the darkness. Motion detectors and timers for your house lights are fairly inexpensive. Check them out at your local Lowe's or Home Depot.

You may also want to take some basic self-defense classes so you have the assurance that you'll be able to stop the preditor long enough to get away. THAT's your goal - not to disarm them, not to take them down, not to teach them a lesson. You want to disable the preditor long enough to get out of their reach and to a safe place.

I'd check with your local PD or YMCA and take a basic self-defense class. Not only will it give you the tools you need to protect yourself if attacked, but (more importantly) it'll give you that confident attitude so you're less likely to be attacked in the first place.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

With the sensors in todays garages that seems highly unlikely. Your garage door would stop the second someone tried. I've had leaves or paper stop mine.

I sometimes push the button and walk under the door as it is closing (I KNOW that's dangerous) and it doesn't stop the door. It's an old opener - I don't think the door stops unless it actually HITS something. So it's possible for someone to come into the garage as the door is closing.

There are motion-activated lights just outside the garage, and the interior garage light turns on every time the garage door opens or closes.

 

[wilderness01]

My opener is about 11 years old and doesn't close if the smallest thing gets in "its view."

 

[manning]

 

[kimmar067]

I was gone all day, drove home about 7 PM. It was pitch dark out, cold (going to snow soon) The house was all dark, too. I used the garage door opener and drove in and parked. As I was exiting the car, a man was RIGHT THERE, behind me! This is a residential neighborhood, only houses are on the street and on all the streets surrounding this area.

He asked me where I'd been and said he knew I'd been gone all day. CREEPY!

I was dumbfounded. I also knew my husband was right behind me, (having caught the light red turning into our development)

He asked me questions about what was in the house !!??!! Wanted to have a conversation and sell me something... I raised my voice and told him to LEAVE NOW! He laughed at me... I had my cell phone in my hand and called 911 as soon as that happened.

He kept standing there asking why was I upset and why was I yelling at him.

Right. Soon I was screaming for help, screaming "GET AWAY FROM ME", he kept standing there.

Finally he sloooowly walked away. 911 was listening as this went on.

My husband then pulled up and found me shaking, talking to the 911 operator. The creep was 2 driveways away.

The police caught him 6 driveways down. Evidently his 'excuse' is he works for the local cable company and wanted us (me) to change something or other. Right. In the pitch dark. Outside on a cold night. He finds a willing customer by following her car into a residential garage. And what's with him knowing I was gone "all day"?

SOOooo I discovered my screaming alerted ZERO neighbors. Nobody was outside on a cold November night, all windows were closed.

What do you do/use to feel safe? What do your daughters do/use? My dd told me she carries a "rape alarm" on her key ring, it shreeeeks when pulled on.... but, frankly, its more annoying than loud....

Is there a product out there that will scream even louder? Attract more attention? Perhaps something to keep on my car key ring? I have a very old unused can of pepper spray, but it is in my linen closet, did me no good sitting there last night. I WOULD have used it if I'd had it with me.

OMG!! How you kept your composure is beyond me.....as for the screaming, a long time ago, a police officer told me that you should never cry out "Rape!", but instead, yell "FIRE!", because more people will respond to that word....thank goodness you are okay....