Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - Creepy Man Tried to Lure Me With a Cheeto, But My Crime Show Mom Saved Me #49

Episode Date: September 4, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #creepyman #strangerdanger #parentalprotection #crimeshowmom #quickthinking  What started as an innocent snack turned into a terrifying encounter when a creepy man tried to lure me with a Cheeto. Luckily, my mom—who’s obsessed with true crime shows—was quick to sense danger and acted fast to keep me safe. This is a story of danger, instinct, and how real-life lessons from TV helped save me from a frightening situation.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, strangerdanger, creepyencounter, parentalert, crimeshowknowledge, quickrescue, childhoodfear, realdanger, protectiveparent, nearmiss, survivalinstinct, truecrimefan, dangeravoidance, savedfromharm, unsettlingexperience

All right, so this is my first time ever sharing something like this, but here we go. I'm a female, and this happened when I was about 11 years old. At the time, I lived in this tiny, sleepy little town where everybody knew everybody. You know the type, pickup trucks parked in driveways, friendly old ladies waving from their porches, and that one neighbor who mows their lawn obsessively every Saturday morning. On the surface, it felt safe. peaceful even. But I grew up watching all these crime shows with my mom, date line, 48 hours, all that stuff, so even as a kid, I had this uneasy awareness that the world wasn't always as

safe as it seemed. Anyway, one afternoon I was walking home from a friend's house. She only lived like two blocks away from me, so it wasn't a big deal. I'd done that walk a hundred times before, and it usually felt fine. But that day, yeah, that day felt different. So I'm just strolling along, probably humming some stupid song stuck in my head, when this beat-up little brown car pulls up alongside me. It looked like it had seen better days, rust spots here and there, windows smudged with fingerprints, and in the back seat,

I could see stacks of newspapers piled up, like he was delivering them or hoarding them or something. Behind the wheel was this guy, maybe in his mid-30s, with shaggy dark brown hair that hung in his face like he hadn't showered in a few days. He leaned toward the open passenger window and called out to me in this weirdly casual tone. Hey, where you heading? Instantly, my stomach nodded. I'd been drilled on, don't talk to strangers since preschool, but my mom also raised me to be polite, so now I'm in this awkward spot of not wanting to be rude but also not wanting to engage with this random dude. A, home, I said, quickening my pace a little and keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead. You want a ride, he asked. My brain screamed, hell no.

But I tried to keep my voice calm as I replied, nope, you sure? I don't mind at all, he pressed, his car crawling along at the same speed I was walking. No, I'm good, I shot back, still walking faster, hoping he'd take the hint. Then he said something that made my skin crawl. Where do you live? I didn't want to give him anything specific, so I vaguely waved my hand up the road and said, Up there. The whole time, his car stayed right next to me, inching forward like he was trying to figure

out his next move. That's when he did something that, looking back, was both terrifying and almost absurd. He held out a single chito from the driver's side window and said, Hey, do you want a chito? A single. freaking Cheeto For a split second

My 11-year-old brain processed the absurdity of it and almost laughed I remember thinking Damn, if he had offered the whole bag I'd probably end up on a milk carton But of course, I didn't say that out loud I shook my head firmly and said

No, he asked me one more time If I wanted a ride And when I didn't answer, he finally sped off Well, as much as that rattley little car could speed. At first, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. But then, just as I thought it was over, I noticed something that made my heart slam against my ribs. Up ahead, he had pulled over again, parked at the corner where there wasn't much traffic. It was one of those spots where the houses sat up on a hill and you couldn't really see much from the street. My mind went into full panic mode.

What if he's waiting for me? What if he jumps out of the car and grabs me? I bolted. I ran like my life depended on it because, honestly, it probably did. My little sneakers slapped against the sidewalk, my lungs burning as I sprinted the rest of the way home. Luckily, my house came before that corner, so I didn't have to pass him. I burst through the front door like a bat out of hell and yelled for my mom. She was in the kitchen, and as soon as she saw my face, she knew something was wrong.

Between gulps of air, I told her everything, the car, the guy, the chito, yeah, even that part. I described him as best I could, shaggy dark hair, brown car, newspapers in the back seat. My mom's face went tight with anger. She didn't even hesitate. She grabbed the phone and called the local police. See, my mom knew pretty much everyone in town, including a few cops, so they took her call seriously. A little while later, one of the officers called back with an update. Turns out, they knew exactly who I was talking about. The guy was the newspaper delivery driver,

and get this, he had a criminal record for being a child predator. My stomach dropped when I heard that. I mean, I'd felt creeped out before, but now I realize just how close I'd come to something awful. Unfortunately, the cops couldn't do much. They said they'd, they'd, give him a warning, which felt like such a lame response for someone like that. But my mom wasn't about to let it go. She called his workplace, the newspaper, and raised holy hell. Whatever she said worked, because after that day, I never saw him on the paper route again. And that's it. But even now, years later, I still think about how differently things could have gone if I'd hesitated. If I'd been a little more trusting. If I'd accepted that stupid Cheeto. The end.