Strange behaviour

Epicbutterfly

Hi everyone, just looking to know know what people’s opinions on the following scenario is.

I live alone in a fairly busy housing estate in a Dublin suburb. The past 2 weeks a woman pulls outside the house having a cigarette but also sits in the car after for at least 3-4 times a week. Saturday night sat outside for over 30 minutes. She did it again tonight.

Saturday night was by far the most bizarre as I was trying to park on my driveway and she didn’t move and just sat in the car. The house is a semi detached and my neighbours just moved out.

What are people’s opinions on this? I find it very unnerving as I live alone that someone could possibly be outside. Normally it is between 8 and 10pm at night.

I know given the seriousness of crime these days she is doing nothing wrong at all as it’s a public road, but its outside my house every time with over 20 houses on the road.

I would love a few opinions.

Thanks

loup

I'd ask her! Knock on the window, ask if she's looking for someone in particular? Could be she needs a break away from young kids or something?

Epicbutterfly

loup wrote: »

I'd ask her! Knock on the window, ask if she's looking for someone in particular? Could be she needs a break away from young kids or something?

I wanted to ask her but then I’d be worried id be accused of anything. It is a public road and anyone is entitled to park there. 100% it could be someone breaking away from small kids, but 100 meters around the corner is a large supermarket and car park with 200 spaces. Just find it really odd

Flippyfloppy

Maybe she works locally, like in the supermarket and is on a break?

AllForIt

Do you know what she does other than smoke for the half hour? Is she on the phone? Maybe she's piggy backing off someone's wifi. I'd agree its a bit odd but whatever shes doing there its more than likely harmless.

Addle

Maybe she's thinking of moving into the estate and is trying to suss out if there's any weirdos about.

rtron

Are you sure it's a cigarette?, Maybe it's something stronger and they do not want to smoke it at home as they have kids or clean house mates or something.

judeboy101

Call the Gardaí

S.I No 182/1997 Road Traffic (traffic and parking) Regulations 1997

36. (2) A vehicle shall not be parked—

( g ) in any place, position or manner that will result in the vehicle obstructing an entrance or an exit for vehicles to or from a premises, save with the consent of the occupier of such premises;

Cash_Q

Epicbutterfly wrote:

Saturday night was by far the most bizarre as I was trying to park on my driveway and she didn’t move and just sat in the car. The house is a semi detached and my neighbours just moved out.

So what did you do? Wait for her to move away? Or park elsewhere and walk past her? That would have been the ideal time to casually say "sorry are you alright there? I'm trying to get into my driveway"


She might do this every day for eternity and you'll get used to it, or there could be more to it, but it sounds to me like she's just killing time. Moving to a new area it can take time to get used to other people's habits but before you know it you won't even notice her any more

marklazarcovic

She's supposed to be giving up the fags I'd say

Epicbutterfly

I will keep an eye out for Her tonight and I’ll come back with an update! Its no problem smoking outside but last night a neighbour had their car parked outside and she still parked behind it! Just wondering why the same house every time. I will update tonight.

LegacyUser

There may well be a married man in a nearby house who has reason to be worried. That's not your problem though. If she parks blocking the driveway again, ask her to move. If she doesn't quickly move away, take photos with the position of the car and the number plate clearly visible. If she does it again, report it, blocking the drive is an offence.

bluestrawberry

Epicbutterfly wrote: »

I will keep an eye out for Her tonight and I’ll come back with an update! Its no problem smoking outside but last night a neighbour had their car parked outside and she still parked behind it! Just wondering why the same house every time. I will update tonight.

Do you think maybe she lived there before and maybe someone belonging to her passed away there and she might be coming back to look at the house? It might hold good memories? I’d report her number to Gardai just in case something did happen and at least you’d feel like you have done something instead of approaching the woman.

Neyite

Only way to know is to ask her OP. It could be a very reasonable explanation or one that's bonkers. But you won't know until you ask. It could be her kid getting music lessons or getting grinds to catch up on a subject for September. Or a terrible Russian spy. :P

You should have told her to move her car if she was in your way getting onto your drive though.

There's nothing wrong with just walking up, knocking on the window and saying "excuse me, I've noticed you parking outside my house a lot now and to be honest, it's a bit concerning for me. Is there something I can help you with?" She's got a house of her own presumably, and I'm sure she'd be curious or concerned with someone parking with that frequency outside her gaff all the time.

miamee

I obviously watch too many crime dramas because my first thought was that she was watching a house/person on your road. Not you obvioulsy, she wouldn't be very discreet parked right outside your front garden!

As others have said, if she seems approachable just ask her is there anythign you can help her with.

Rubberchikken

Definitely ask her. Its the only way to kniw for sure and a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
And then come back and let us know how you got on:)

lukesmom

Id strike up a conversation with her ask does she need any help

as above i'd just knock on the window and ask is she alright.

giving up the smokes sounds likely!!

Epicbutterfly

No sign yet anyway! The one night she won’t come by now after all my complaining!

Went out this evening and cleaned all the cigarette butts from where she pulls up so now the littering is bugging me as people in the estate do a clean up monthly. I will have a word if she pops by tonight. Last night it was well after 9.30 before she appeared.

TomOnBoard

Epicbutterfly wrote: »

No sign yet anyway! The one night she won’t come by now after all my complaining!

Went out this evening and cleaned all the cigarette butts from where she pulls up so now the littering is bugging me as people in the estate do a clean up monthly. I will have a word if she pops by tonight. Last night it was well after 9.30 before she appeared.

Well, if shes throwing her butts out the window, its deffo knock on window time!

redfox123

The carer for my dad does the same thing every night before coming in. He parks up the road and sits in car having a smoke. Sometimes for up to half an hour if he's early. Could be something similar, she may work nearby and is not supposed to be smoking or whatever or just wants her bit of peace before work. Have you watched whaf she does when she's leaving does she get out or drive off.

Can you park when she normally parks so she can’t park there? Get her out of the habit!

Epicbutterfly

To update, tonight she pulled up again and I went out to her. She was sitting in car with a guy in the passenger seat . I asked her if she was ok as I’ve seen her outside last few weeks.

Guy had a backpack on his lap and was dressed head to toe in black. She said in broken english she was picking him up from work however no one got in or out of the car from the time they arrived outside.Then when as I walked away they drove off and in my haste to get outside to talk to them I never took down the registration plate! (Rookie mistake)

Rang guards again and they said it’s suspicious. I got a very strange feeling about them.

Fakediamond

Now we all really want to know what’s going on! Do you think the guards will mount a stakeout operation?!

Epicbutterfly

Fakediamond wrote: »

Now we all really want to know what’s going on! Do you think the guards will mount a stakeout operation?!

I’m hoping they won’t come back tomorrow night as I’ll be home alone. Guards told me to get the reg and call in tomororw night if they come back. Feel like I’m wasting their time but had an uneasy feeling since day one!

pc7

Epicbutterfly wrote: »

I’m hoping they won’t come back tomorrow night as I’ll be home alone. Guards told me to get the reg and call in tomororw night if they come back. Feel like I’m wasting their time but had an uneasy feeling since day one!

Go with your instinct, better to be wrong and get the guards to check it out than right and someone broken into or other no good going on.

ManOfMystery

There were a few houses robbed near me last month and the perpetrators were eventually caught, it transpired they had been parking in the area for a few weeks and monitoring certain houses to see who was typically out / working shifts.

So yeah, I agree that going to the Guards is not a waste of time - better safe than sorry.

Epicbutterfly

I hope last night was the warning to them that I suppose someone is aware of what they potentially could be up to. I will be staking out again tonight hoping I don’t have the call the Guards to check them out.

lukesmom

Well any scéal?

nthclare

She could be living a few blocks away and supposedly off the ciggies, so she found a spot she can just chill out have a sneaky puff listen to the car radio....

I used to pull into a spot on my lunch break by a river in a rural area for a smoke and listen to the radio one day the local farmer asked me was I OK

I told him I was working up the road and he was cool about it, he was worried because someone was laying nets across the river poaching salmon, gave me his number in case I came across anything suspicious.

Epicbutterfly

I had a full on stakeout tonight! Every car I was glued to see if it was her. No sign tonight anyway! Not at home now the next 2 nights so won’t know if she’s around but I think she might have taken the hint. No more cigarette butts outside now hopefully.

professore

Just thinking OP saying your from neighborhood watch and We have noticed your suspicious activity in the area would be a good idea if something similar happens again.

tea and coffee

Sounds like she was scoping the place out for burglary tbh. And the bloke was going to do the burgling. Perhaps she thought your neighbour was on hols rather than moved out so they were hoping to do that house.

Epicbutterfly

tea and coffee wrote: »

Sounds like she was scoping the place out for burglary tbh. And the bloke was going to do the burgling. Perhaps she thought your neighbour was on hols rather than moved out so they were hoping to do that house.

No sign of her since thankfully so I get the feeling I interrupted something sinister!

xzanti

Definitely sounds sinister

And the dirty pig throwing her butts out her window on your driveway. That alone would send me loola :mad:

Good on ya OP.

dudara

Posters - please note that asking for updates is against the forum charter. The OP can choose when and if to update us

dudara

ConnyMcDavid

They won't be back. What use is being dressed in black and now you've seen their faces, and as far as they are concerned you did see their reg number.

Perhaps you could call in to your neighbours and warn them and/or see if any have cctv they might have spotted the car.

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

razorblunt

Sitting outside my house , more than once - I'd knock on the window
Blocking my drive - I'd knock on your window
Dropping cigarette butts - I'd knock on your window and take pics of the car

NIMAN

The plot thickens.