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Caught on cam: Woman gets trapped in self-driving car after 2 men block her path to get her phone number

A woman was on a self-driving cab service when two men blocked her path, making it impossible for the car to move.

Published on: Dec 18, 2024, 13:41:02 IST
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A scary video of two men blocking a self-driving car to get the phone number of a woman passenger riding it has resurfaced online. The incident occurred a few months earlier, and the video shows the woman trapped in a Waymo, an American autonomous driving cab service. The video sparked a serious discussion on women’s safety, reminding many of the “Man vs bear” debate.

A woman’s encounter with two men while in a self-driving car has scared people. (Screengrab)
A woman’s encounter with two men while in a self-driving car has scared people. (Screengrab)

The video opens to show two men standing in front of the car, gesturing to the woman inside to share her phone number. She keeps on saying, “No, move.” However, they keep on insisting while blocking her way, making it impossible for her vehicle to bulge.

Also Read: ‘I’ll come back at night and show you’: Gurgaon woman's terrifying encounter with Ola driver

According to a report published by San Francisco Chronicle, the men left after she kept screaming for them to move. She was sitting in the front passenger seat during her scary encounter with the men.

“In an instance like this, our riders have 24/7 access to Rider Support agents who will help them navigate the situation in real time and coordinate closely with law enforcement officers to provide further assistance as needed,” Julia Ilina, spokesperson for Waymo, told the outlet after the incident.

Social media is fuming:

An individual suggested, “A safety feature should be activated that automatically sends dash cam video to the nearest police precinct and reports it as an attempted kidnapping in progress. Guys would never try it again.” Another posted, “They realized she was trapped and doubled down. Super nice guys.” A third commented, “The fact they don’t even care about being on camera just shows how much they know they won’t get s**t for it either.”

Also Read: Delhi Metro shocker: 22-year-old woman accuses elderly man of feeling her up, says ‘I'm scarred and scared’

A fourth added, “You yell at a bear and it goes away.” “Ya see, a bear wouldn’t do that,” wrote an Instagram user. The users referenced a trend that took over social media a few months ago.

What is the man vs bear trend?

Under this trend, people conducted social experiments by asking women who was safer to encounter in a jungle—a man or a bear. The trend was a response to the prevalent fear and concern about women's safety, and sadly, all the participants chose bear over man.

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More