A woman in Arizona shared a video online describing an incident where she refused to ride an elevator alone with two men on her own, saying she felt uncomfortable in the situation, after which she claimed they allegedly became upset and followed her.
In a video, the woman shared that she had bought groceries at night but had forgotten to bring the small blue wagon she owned, so she had to make two trips to bring everything into her apartment. After carrying most of the groceries upstairs, she went back down and decided to leave her purse behind as well, which contained a self-defense device. This left her without anything to protect herself with during the second trip.
When it was time to bring the rest of her groceries in, the woman said she had seen two men in the elevator. Instead of getting in with them, she chose to take the stairs. She also noted that she was aware the elevator’s security camera was not working, and said the idea of entering the elevator alone with two unknown men at night was not “particularly appealing.”
After using the stairs, the woman said she began walking toward her car when she heard someone calling out “hey.” At first, she ignored it, assuming they weren’t talking to her. However, after the man called out again, she turned around and asked if they were speaking to her. She said the men appeared upset that she chose not to take the elevator with them.
“Why did you just walk past the elevator door and take the stairs?” one of the men allegedly asked her. Instead of explaining her reasoning directly, she replied that it had been a while since she used the stairs. As she began to walk away, she said the two men continued to follow her, speaking to her.
“What? We are not good enough to be in the elevator with you?” one of the men allegedly said while following her. She said the interaction made her feel alarmed. Instead of engaging further, she got into her car and drove around for about 30 minutes.
“Why was he so upset I didn’t get in the elevator with them?” she asked in her video. She added that she hadn’t even looked at the men when she chose to walk past the elevator and take the stairs instead. She ended the video by saying, “I don’t know about you guys, but I would much rather walk up 100 flights of stairs than get in an elevator with two men that I don’t know that are trying to pressure me to get into the elevator.”
Viewers Call Out Arizona Men for Confronting Woman
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers criticized the Arizona men for allegedly following the woman after she avoided the elevator, with many describing the behavior as unsettling. “This is why we prefer the bear!” one woman wrote. Another person added, “nahhhh cuz they just proved your point.” The woman later responded, saying, “It was a very eerie moment when that dawned on me in the moment. One of those moments where your gut drops to the floor.”
More people supported the woman, saying the men’s reaction after she avoided the elevator was inappropriate. “If they were safe they wouldn’t mind your decision and they would mind their business. Trust your gut,” one person wrote. Another commented, “That’s very sus for them to get upset like that. Good on you for following your intuition.”
The video sparked online discussion about personal safety, social interactions with strangers, and trusting instincts in uncomfortable situations. It also led to broader conversations about women’s safety in public spaces and the importance of trusting one’s instincts in uncomfortable situations.
