She froze when Uber driver claiming to be a filmmaker shared a plot about killing passengers — she quietly used a true-crime trick to protect herself
Uncertainty can be unsettling. A single comment, made at the wrong time by the wrong person, can completely change how safe a situation feels. That was the experience of a TikTok user who goes by Zo. Sharing on her account, @zoekbirdsong, on Monday, July 6, 2026, she recounted a late-night Uber ride through Los Angeles after booking an unusually long trip. What began as a casual conversation with her driver gradually took an alarming turn, leaving the woman convinced that she needed to think less about the ride itself and more about how she would make it home safely.
During the ride, the driver casually introduced himself as a filmmaker. The woman admitted she paid little attention, brushing off his stories as harmless conversation during the late-night journey. That changed when he suddenly brought up his next script, saying it was about an Uber driver who kills passengers. The remark instantly sent her into panic mode. Recalling scenes from true crime documentaries and the film "Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey," the commuter began thinking about how victims had left behind evidence to help investigators. Terrified, she quietly started leaving strands of hair, fingerprints, and even nail clippings all over the car, hoping they might help if the worst happened. She also shared the driver's details with her friends.
Before bringing up the disturbing movie plot, the driver had also claimed he had previously hired Michael B. Jordan and even LeBron James for one of his films. Although she reached her destination safely, the experience left a lasting impression. She later urged viewers never to dismiss their gut feelings simply because the situation does not escalate. Even the viewers agreed. @jacob.jessi said, "No, you are not overreacting because I would’ve dialed 911 immediately." @da_superunicorn commented, "There’s literally a movie like that already." @fad_0078 also wrote, "You should’ve also recorded the conversation and notified Uber about it."
Intuition is often our first line of defense. That was the lesson TikTok creator Alexandra shared in a viral video. Recalling an incident from her high school years, she explained that she and a friend had driven to a community college late one weekend night to catch a Pokémon in Pokémon Go. While they were on campus, a security guard approached their car and informed them about the college's curfew. After Alexandra apologized, the man told them there was an especially good Pokémon near the gymnasium and even offered to take them there himself. He urged the teenagers to park their car and continue on foot.
Despite the seemingly harmless suggestion, something about the encounter felt wrong. Alexandra trusted her instincts, declined the offer, and told the guard she needed to leave. About a week later, she was horrified to see the same worker featured in the news as the prime suspect in the kidnapping and murder of a young woman on that very campus. According to later reports, the employee, identified as Edwin Lara, had allegedly targeted young women, making the student realize just how narrowly she may have escaped a dangerous situation. Not every uneasy feeling points to danger, but ignoring it can come at a much greater cost.
For more such stories, follow @zoekbirdsong on TikTok.