CCTV video shows a creepy guy following 9-year-old home — she outsmarts him in the last moment

Teaching children about safety is all about balance; you don't want to induce fear, but the risks are real. But this 9-year-old girl's parents raised her right! In a gripping video that went viral, a young girl from Russia managed to trick her stalker with quick thinking. In the footage, the girl enters an apartment building, not realizing that a man is following her. As she climbs the stairs, he follows closely behind. Realizing she is being pursued, in a smart move, just as she reaches the elevators, she makes the split-second decision to hide in a doorway. Her clever move may have saved her from a horrid fate.

When the man reaches the elevator, he is confused as the girl has vanished. Unbeknownst to him, she nonchalantly just slips back down the stairs and exits the building. The stalker presses the elevator button as he looks around for the girl. Soon, when he realizes he’s been outwitted, he too leaves the building, only to run into the girl who returns holding the hand of another adult—her father. As reported by The Scottish Sun, the girl’s situational awareness earned her praise from the host of the YouTube channel Active Self Protection. 

The host urged, "First things first, parents teach their children that they are capable of defending themselves. I think a lot of times that we don't want to scare our children, and I think that's wise, and it has to be age-appropriate, of course." He added, "Your children do have a creep alarm that something's off and something's not right, and mom and dad, you should teach your children that it's okay to pay attention to their creep alarm. They should. If something feels wrong, it probably is wrong, and they should probably do something about it." The incident proved that smart thinking makes all the difference.

The stalker is eventually arrested by authorities. The footage of the girl’s narrow escape sparked widespread discussion on various social media platforms. On Reddit, a person praised, "That girl handled it brilliantly. She kept her calm. Because if you're walking, he's following; if you're running, he's chasing. Evaded the dude with absolute finesse and got back home with trusted company. I can tell this was not coincidence but brilliance on the girl's behalf because she knew what was going on and was pointing towards the dude after she entered the building with her trusted company."

Another noted, "I hate that she had to go through this, but I give her all the praise for keeping her head in the situation!" Chiming in, another said, "That was scary to watch. The girl handled it very well with her quick thinking and awareness of the situation." In light of the incident, parents would do well to have an open conversation about the dangers of everyday life, keeping it, of course, positive and reassuring. A simple, practical approach will help kids feel confident in such situations.