A woman who was running by herself thought she heard something strange so she looked behind her, only to leave the internet terrified by what she saw.
TikTok user Rachel (@rachelllll.e.b) is an avid runner, but living in Mississippi makes it difficult to avoid the high temperatures when jogging. As a result, Rachel prefers to run at 4:30 a.m. before heading on her hour-long commute to work.
During an early morning jog in August, Rachel was stunned when she heard a restaurant playing Christmas music outside. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, so she turned around to get a better look—only to see a man walking behind her.
After hearing the festive music, Rachel started recording to share it with her friends, not expecting to leave them horrified instead. She posted the footage on TikTok on August 19, and it’s gone viral with over 41.3 million views and more than 4.1 million likes at the time of writing.
Newsweek has contacted Rachel via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the video.
Writing in the TikTok caption alongside her video, Rachel said it was “so creepy” and like something “straight out of a horror film.”
While Rachel regularly shares videos of herself running on TikTok, she also felt it was important to post this encounter. After seeing how much attention it generated in a short amount of time, Rachel shared a follow-up video to answer many of the burning questions that TikTok users wanted to know. That video has also gone viral, leading to more than 2.4 million views already.
Indeed, many asked why she runs so early when it’s dark outside, why she doesn’t go to a gym, or what happened after spotting the man. To answer those queries, Rachel explained that running outside has always been her preference rather than treadmills, and she likes to run before heading to work and before it gets too hot.
After noticing the man walking behind her, Rachel stopped recording and started running much faster until she was back home safely.
A study conducted by Adidas in 2023 found that 92 percent of women felt concerned for their safety when going out for a run, with 51 percent afraid of being physically attacked. The survey, which looked at 9,000 runners across nine countries, also revealed that 38 percent of women have experienced physical or verbal harassment, and of these women, 56 percent have received unwanted attention, and 50 percent have been followed.
These experiences have a devastating impact on women, as 53 percent of women experienced anxiety, while 40 percent of women had heightened feelings on vulnerability.
As a result, 46 percent of women have reported a loss of interest in running, according to the Adidas survey.
Mississippi State University recommends that people should avoid walking or jogging alone, change the route from day to day, avoid remote or isolated areas, avoid wearing expensive jewelry, always wear bright or light-colored clothing, and let someone know where you are going and how long for.
If you think you’re being followed, you should look for lighted windows, wave and shout towards them, as though someone in the window is watching you. If you think you’re being followed, Mississippi State University suggests crossing the street abruptly to determine whether that is the case.
Internet users have been left horrified by Rachel’s experience when running, leading to more than 29,800 comments on TikTok so far.
One comment reads: “Girl stop running in the dark.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “The Christmas music is creepier than the rando following you.”
Another person replied: “How about we not ask why she is running at that time but instead ask why a man is following her.”
While one commenter added: “Girl, run faster. I’m scared.”
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