A Michigan man who gave a ride to a teenage girl walking alone at night has divided commenters after posting the late-night occurrence on Reddit.
The original poster (OP) told Newsweek that he offered a ride to the minor because of the crime rate in the area.
“It was mainly because a young girl walking alone at night is a dangerous thing to be doing in that part of town. We have a lot of crime; plenty of people getting robbed, attacked; and unfortunately a few deaths not long ago,” he said.
Damir Ismagilov
The man, who goes by u/Western-Tale-508 on Reddit, asked for opinions on his actions following criticism from his wife when he returned home.
The 34-year-old explained in his post, which was shared on the popular Am I the A****** channel, or AITA, that he was driving home from work at around 11 p.m. when he saw the young girl walking alone in what he described as an unsafe area.
Concerned for her safety, he offered her a ride. “She talked about how she was at a party and her ride left without her,” he wrote, adding that no one else she knew was sober enough to drive her home.
The OP, who works as the manager of the meat department at a local store, drove the 14-year-old home, which was a considerable distance away, ensuring she got back safely.
However, when he arrived home later than usual and explained the situation to his wife, she told him it was “wrong” and “creepy” to offer a ride to the girl, saying that he shouldn’t have done it.
Despite his wife’s concerns, the man defended his actions. He continued in his post: “I personally don’t think it’s wrong and with how dangerous our area is I think it’s better that she had a safe way home rather than potentially getting hurt while walking or being picked up by someone with bad intentions.”
The OP edited his post to acknowledge the risk he took in offering the girl a lift. “I’d rather have had her destroy my reputation than for her to have been picked up by someone with less pure intentions,” he added in his edit.
The man’s post has received 22,000 upvotes and over 5,000 comments.
“I don’t want to live in a world where you’re looked at as an AH for this,” one Redditor wrote while also thanking the man for “being brave enough” to come to the girl’s aid.
Another wrote: “It’s a shame being a kind and responsible adult has so many challenges. Most people aren’t creepy but the few that have made it dangerous for everyone. Thanks for being considerate.”
Another Reddit user said they were a teacher and have done the same thing twice. They encouraged the passenger to hop in the back of the vehicle to put some distance between them and recorded the journey on their phone. “Still, makes me a bit nervous,” the user added.
Self-defense, personal safety and violence prevention expert Julie Waite told Newsweek that this was a very real dilemma that anyone could come face-to-face with.
“On the one hand, giving this girl a lift home was a kind thing to do, and he was rightly concerned about her safety. But this could have turned bad in so many ways,” Waite said.
She said the man put himself in a dangerous position because the teen could have accused him of a crime, such as assault or kidnapping. “His reputation, family and job could be on the line,” Waite said.
Waite suggested alternative courses of action: stopping and asking if she was OK, calling her a taxi or notifying the authorities to give her a safe ride home. Waite, who is also co-founder of Streetwise Defence, said she teaches girls to never talk to strangers or accept a lift from them.
“It’s hard because there are a lot of good guys out there who want to help and should help. I’m glad this situation turned out OK, but I wouldn’t recommend this approach to other men. It’s too risky,” Waite said.
Another Redditor agreed that the man had good intentions in wanting to ensure the girl’s safety in a dangerous area. “However, your wife’s concern about the situation being misinterpreted is also valid. In the future, calling a taxi or Rideshare [driver] could be a safer way to help without risking any misunderstanding,” the user wrote.
Speaking about the reaction online, the OP told Newsweek that it was largely in support of him acting out of concern.
“The reaction has largely been from what I’ve read—I stopped reading most because they just kept coming—was that I did the right thing but that it was risky since the girl could have accused me of something,” he said.