Woman fights off three masked men to save her best friend — but people are blaming her for one reason
A woman bravely acted on her instincts when she saw her friend getting kidnapped by a group of masked men who barged in with a white van. In the aftermath of it, she was not appreciated or lauded, but blamed for her reaction. As surprising as it may sound, even the friend she rescued did not side with her. The 28-year-old woman (u/BlissfulRush) then detailed her bizarre experience on Reddit, and the internet is convinced she should reconsider the friendship. Turns out, the kidnapping was a prank by her friend’s boyfriend, who wanted it to be a surprise proposal.
Not all pranks are fun, some trigger your fight or flight response. The Reddit user looked towards the internet for clarification, asking whether she was really the one to blame for reacting the way she did. “So this actually happened last weekend, and I'm still shaking…I was visiting Emily. We were walking around, catching up, when this unmarked white van came up next to us. Two masked men jump out and grab her. She begins screaming. I freak out,” a part of the post read. For some background context, the user revealed that the boyfriend, Chris, 31, was “eccentric” and had been dating her best friend Emily, 29, for the past four years.
“I (28F) love her to death, and I’ve always supported their relationship even though Chris is eccentric. He loves surprises and stuff. Think flash mobs and scavenger hunts that no one asked for,” the woman noted. Getting back to the prank-slash-incident, the woman, frightened by that point, explained what had gone down that urged the police to intervene. She said, “I did what any sane, frightened human being would do: I grabbed my pepper spray (legal where I am) and yelled bloody murder and went wild. Sprayed one dude in the face, kicked another in the shin, and literally pulled Emily back by the coat while yelling for 911.”
It was not long until the women who fell victim to the ruthless prank realized that the masked men were Chris and his buddies. “They were attempting this strange ‘prank kidnapping into surprise proposal’ situation cause Emily wanted a ‘proposal like in the movies,’” the post added. Apparently, Chris wanted to impress his girlfriend with a Hollywood-like proposal before he went overboard with the scary props. Unfortunately, his plan backfired and ended up “yelling crying” from the pepper spray. Both the woman and her friend were scared to death. The cops reached the location, adding to the chaos.
An upset Chris blamed the woman for overreacting and ruining the “most significant moment of their lives,” in addition to embarrassing him because his insensitive prank flopped. Surprisingly, even her friend did not back her. “Emily tells me she understands why I freaked out but wishes I'd read the room,” she wrote. Explaining herself, the woman recalled how real the situation seemed, with the masks and the white van. The Reddit post went viral, receiving 21,000 votes and thousands of comments sharing words of wisdom and support. “No, you don't terrify people you love like this at all,” wrote a viewer (u/puzzleheaded-ad7606) while another (u/hey_nonny_mooses) mocked, “I’m hoping Chris never reproduces. His idiocy needs to end with him.”
“OP risked her life to save her friend, despite the situation being fake. If it were me, and I did that to save a friend, I’d end the friendship after those remarks. Read the room?? Nope, she can **** off,” opined someone else (u/best_temperature_549). Another comment by u/tinkerbell_2369 stated, “Emily and Chris are both idiots; she should drop both of them. If Emily chooses to be with Chris, then OP should just wash her hands of the whole situation.” The popular opinion criticized Chris for his half-baked prank and for risking the safety of the people involved.