Night time walker scares me. MOD NOTE IN OP - PLEASE READ BEFORE REPLYING

Stop overthinking it. Walking the same street in plain sight every day is hardly the hallmark of someone casing the area.

Commuters sometimes find free safe parking and catch a bus the last stage, or as in my case, we have a few nursing homes and schools within walking distance and have staff park up and walk to work.

You need to speak to someone about your anxiety. This isn't normal behaviour.

What a horrible thing to do - someone minding their own business, simply walking in public and you have the gall to go up and question him like he is doing something wrong?? Did you think how that would make someone feel? Would you have done that if it was a woman?
What gives you the right to know anyone elses business in the first place, why do you think anyone should have to explain to you why they are walking anywhere in public? Telling them "its a safe area" as if to guilt them into thinking they are doing something they shouldn't be?

Since then, he hasnt stopped walking here! I thought that may have been enough to let him know I found it odd but he continues to walk on and drive away as per usual.

Why the hell shouldn't he? Someone should stop what they are doing (which you know nothing about, and has zero affect on anyone else) because you "found it odd"? That is next level curtain twitching.
As long as he is parked legally what you have described is nothing wrong. You can't seriously think they are a burglar if they park their car in public in the same place and walk the same route regularly?

Imagine another thread on here, of someone going about their daily life doing nothing more than walking in public and parking their car and telling everyone here that some lunatic is out wanting to know their business and intimidating them into not not being seen around the area anymore. What do you think the reaction would be?

And to top it off you want to start gossiping to the neighbourhood watch chat group to get the whole area on this guys case? Disgusting bullying.

I think you should speak to your doctor about this.

I don’t see why everyone is so harsh twoards the OP. He hs as had bad experiences with house casing and so his caution is relatively natural. He has flagged it with the local neigbourhood watch - that’s what it’s there for. He is concerned for his safety - Ok - he is on radar alert - it dosn’t make him a nutjob or anxiety freak. We had cars parking in our estate and people using it to commute - one or two of them caused all kind of problems as the cars were them left there untaxed and uninsured when their owners went off back home or emigrated or whatever. We also had a guy who used park and deal - it took vigalence by neighbours and the NW to convince the gaurds to do a stakeout and clear him from the area. Lets face it - nothing will magically happen by itself in this country. If I had someone hanging around my house at night who didn’t live there I’d probably eventually challenge them somehow too.

OP - the others here have probably put their finger on it and he is using your estate as a park and drive (however annonying this is its probably legal unless its a private estate or in someones allocated parking or blocking a footpath/drive). His reaction when you challenged him probably shows that he is more afraid of you than you of
him - so you learned something positive from your challenge! It may be that he is working locally and the company has told him not to use the customers parking out front, or perhaps he is moved in with someone where they have no driveway space for him so he is using the laneway to get from his rental or partners house or rental to his car ( or vice versa). I assume the backpack is not one big enough to go camping with - lots of people carry PC’s and study folders or textbooks or hat and work clothes ( safety boots/ engineering overalls/safety hat etc) so I wouldn’t think too much of it.

Now that you’ve challenged him he knows he’s on peoples radar so will be on his gaurd against further approaches so I’d leave him alone. If he is smuggling bags of toilet rolls or stealing garden gnomes that will probably put him off. I’d say he’s just under a bit of logistical pressure and going about his business as best he can maybe working nights or irregular shifts - and leave it at that and rest easy.

Despite what the court system and judges seem to think there are no victimless crimes and having been subject to stalking/housecasing behaviour in the past can put you on high flight mode and make you fearsome. He probably now talking to his friend or family about a guy that is watching him as he exits the dark lonely alleyway & is probably now worried himself!! Leave it be and try not to worry so much - just because you have had bad experiences in the past dosn’t mean that the world isn’t full of nice normal hardworking people just trying to get by and who wouldn’t harm a fly.

Afraidatnight wrote: »

I know this may seems like a massively trivial issue to some but its not the kind of place you would be walking unless you were a resident here and my gut feeling is hes no good. Thoughts?

My thoughts are you haven't handled this very well.

You have a gut bad feeling about someone yet you have actually drawn this person's attention TO YOU. This isn't wise.

You should have kept your head down.

Never draw attention to yourself if you think someone is bad news.

You can't surmise his motives just from what little info you have.

What you should do ..is simply secure your house. Alarms bolts ..strong doors and locks ...maybe get a dog etc.

Your behavior was very odd.

Totally illogical in fact. Which makes ME think its more anxiety based than reality based.

If it were logical to think this person was up to no good. You wouldn't have had the guts to approach him. And i mean if he is a burglar do you think he is going to TELL YOU 'yeah i am going to rob a house tonight don't tell anyone?'

The fact that YOU perturbed him makes me think he is just an ordinary person. Also if he was a robber and someone clocked him ..he would stop walking by every night if he was clever.

He would be an extremely dumb robber to keep walking by after someone clocked him wouldn't he?

Usually if i clock someone doing ill ....i don't see them again ...because they know i have their number.

Despite what the court system and judges seem to think there are no victimless crimes and having been subject to stalking/housecasing behaviour in the past can put you on high flight mode and make you fearsome.

This ..however ..just to be safe ..secure your house in a normal healthy way. Try and be a bit more confident in yourself and maybe speak to a mental health professional especially during covid.


No smart burglar is going to keep walking past a house that clocked him.

So he is prob just a normal guy . Hope that makes you feel safer.

But next time ..DONT challenge someone you feel is iffy....unless you are defending yourself.

If i am walking and i see someone odd ..i cross the street . I walk by ..i dont draw attention...its VERY dangerous to do that.

OP you’re not getting it. Every single shred of evidence, including your confrontation and him continuing his routine, is pointing to him doing nothing illegal or harmful. All that’s happening is that you’re being irrationally anxious.

And I get it, I’ve had my own wars with anxiety in the past. But the solution is for YOU to tackle YOUR anxiety, not to try and get the world to accommodate it. The most likely outcome of you pursuing this in any way is your neighbours thinking you’re an oddball, or a Garda laughing at you. Even if you were successful in getting your man to park somewhere else while at work...the issue isn’t that, it’s that you have anxiety, so all that would happen is something else would come along to trigger that instead.

To be perfectly clear one more time: this is your issue OP, not anyone else’s. Take the warning sign here when there’s no harm done and is just an idle thought on boards.ie: stop pursuing this and do some work on your anxiety and you can make this non-event into something life-changing where its current course is hurtling towards it being a bit cringy and embarrassing.

Afraidatnight wrote: »

OP here, thanks for the replies so far.

Yes, my previous experience when renting in a kinda dodgy area has made me anxious, as I had 2 neighbours who had their flat ransacked when they were at work and it was from a gang who knew the hours of the tenants so I was only spared as i work flexi hours. Its made me jumpy, thats why im so in tune with the comings and goings of the people who live here. It isnt a well lit alley thats the thing, but that doesnt stop him walking there, plus its always between 9-10pm when he does it, which is also suspicious.
Yes, I know now i absolutely shouldnt have confronted him, i wasnt planning to scare the chap, only to let him know i was aware of his routine. I regretted it right away because he asked me what business it was of mine and all my bravado went. i realised how stupid i was for doing this to a stranger. So i get it, i shoudlnt have done it.
But...and this is my main issue, he still comes here! Down the estate and through the alley and into his car, which isnt blocking any other area (but i have noted the reg) which i find even stranger because surely after that interaction, he would have copped on that he was being watched and moved on, but he hasnt.
Is it best to throw a pic of the car and reg on the Whatsapp group or just have a quiet word with the community officer to put my mind at ease? Im torn right now!

Why would he stop waking/parking there? He’s done nothing wrong, he’s not even done anything suspicious.

And just to give your anxiety a wee nudge if you do go to the Community Officer who in turn has a word with him he’ll rightly suspect it was the local busybody who previously accosted him.

Afraidatnight wrote: »

But...and this is my main issue, he still comes here! Down the estate and through the alley and into his car, which isnt blocking any other area (but i have noted the reg) which i find even stranger because surely after that interaction, he would have copped on that he was being watched and moved on, but he hasnt.
Is it best to throw a pic of the car and reg on the Whatsapp group or just have a quiet word with the community officer to put my mind at ease? Im torn right now!

Who the hell do you think you are?

Your lucky he didn’t slap you for being a nosey bastard. 6 months casing a house? Have you got a museum of fine art in your shed. Leave the man alone and mind your own business.
If you send that picture to the WhatsApp and it turns out to be a friend of a neighbour you’ll have made yourself the laughing stock more than you are already.

Sounds like someone using the estate to free park for the day. If you are in neighbourhood whatsapp group have you asked if anyone knows or have seen the guy?

Hopefully you'll go after him again and he'll get a video as maybe a word from the local Gardai may sort you out and get you to realise what you're at is absolutely crackers carry on

You seriously need to speak to your GP and engage in some sort of therapy. Just because you have issues doesn't give you the right to control others. Yes this exactly what you are trying to do, control this poor fella cause you obviously have issues