While South Africa’s track record for kidnappings and human trafficking is something to be very aware of, other places deemed as “safe” havens are now having to contend with the same problems.
A New York City mother who recently visited her local Wal-Mart with her daughter, noticed a strange man following them in the store.
At one time, he even had his phone up and appeared to be recording them, making her feel very uncomfortable.
MaryBeth Nappa shared her experience on TikTok, and started off saying, “So this guy is like following me in Wal-Mart while I’m with my daughter, he’s following me. I don’t know him; he’s following me and recording me.”
When she pointed her phone at the same spot where he was earlier, the man mysteriously disappeared after probably realising Nappa was recording him as well.
But instead of leaving things as is, she went with her gut instinct and immediately notified staff members, who in turn let management know.
@dd_escapades #traffickingawarenes #walmart #staysafe #humantraffickingawareness ♬ original sound - Diving_Escapades
“So I just found a worker and I showed her the clip that I just showed you guys, and she agreed. She thought it was really weird and really fricking creepy,” she said.
In a series of follow-up videos, Nappa explained that the strange guy was in fact a dangerous person. According to parenting website sheknows.com, he was previously registered as a sex offender with very disturbing charges attached to him.
@dd_escapades #humantraffickingawareness #staysafe #stayalert #callthepolice #update #news ♬ original sound - Diving_Escapades
And now, PEOPLE has reported that he has been charged with fourth degree stalking.
Speaking to WSYR-TV about her close shave with the sex offender, Nappa said, “If you have a gut feeling something isn’t right, then it’s probably not right.”