A woman has shared an urgent warning to anyone living alone.
Mary Alice, a singer-songwriter from Chicago, shared the advice earlier this year after a terrifying encounter she had when she returned to her apartment one evening.
Mary explained that when she got back to her complex, she noticed a man who she'd not seen before.
In a TikTok video posted on her channel, Mary said: “When I got home tonight, I got out of my car and there was a man getting s*** out of his car. I'd never seen him before this morning but he just gave me bad vibes.
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“I got out of my car at night and he tries to make conversation with me about my headlight because it's out right now, and I'm just like, ‘I know I have to get around to it, whatever’.
When Mary entered her apartment, she did not turn the lights on immediately. She instead had a ‘feeling’ to check the footage from her Ring doorbell camera, and was horrified about what she saw.
Mary said: “He’s standing in the street which is very close to my apartment building, staring at my building.
“And he did not leave for like five minutes. Halfway through he left the empty parking spot and hid behind a car. But he waited to see.”
Mary argues this encounter is proof that those living alone should not turn their lights on as soon as they get in.
She said: “When you go home at night, don’t turn your lights on immediately after you get into your apartment, especially if people can see the windows of your apartment from the street. Because if someone’s following you home, they’re going to know what apartment you live in.”
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At the end of the video, she added: “So now he knows what car I drive and where I live, just not my apartment. So don't turn your lights on.”
Mary’s TikTok now has over 27 million views worldwide, with maby viewers taking to the comments to share their appreciation for Mary.
One said: “Amazing advice, that I guarantee so many don’t think about…. I didn’t until you said something! Thank you!”
Another said: “Wow, never thought about this. Getting blackout curtains for the side of your apartment where it’s visible from the street is also a good idea!”
A third person said: “I have lights on timers. They are already on, highly suggest the same for anyone who lives alone."
Jamie Greer