STRANGER DROPS A NOTE ON THIS WOMAN’S LAP THAT MADE HER CALL THE COPS FOR HELP
Why do we love fiction movies or tv series or books? For some, it could be a way to escape reality and for some, it’s just the way to experience things that don’t happen to us in real life. But we say before you jump to any conclusion read this unbelievable story that has a plot of a movie, twist of some mystery novel, and better ending than Game of Thrones season 8.
The story of this woman is filled with so many plots and twists that it could easily turn into a thriller if any directors are reading it. Jokes aside the moment she realized that there was something on the train on which she was traveling she decided to act upon it. But before that, she had to be sure that whatever was happening around her was really happening or was it all just one big mistake she was about to make…
The Beginning
Julie Dragland who lives in Oakland, California was a regular girl with a simple life. One day while heading back home which she traveled through the Bay Area’s public transport was left speechless by the turns of event. She wouldn’t have imagined that something like this could happen to her. In life, there are no warnings. And that day even she didn’t get one.
Regular Girl
Her day was going the way it usually went. She loved her job and her co-workers or you could say she was content with her life. Though she wanted more like everybody else, there was no rush for it. Looking forward to reaching home as soon as possible she took public transport on her usual regular route. She hasn’t experienced anything out of the blue in all these years in her life but everything happens for the first time.
The Route
We all have a specific daily route and routine which we follow for traveling to work from home and then from work to home. Julie was also commuting through the same usual route but that turned out to be her worst mistake. After working for hours in front of a desktop or laptop all we want is one thing, to reach home and rest on our most comfortable bed in our favorite room. But life had something else planned for her.
Boarding The Train
Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) is used by thousands of people on a daily basis. Julie was one of them who found this means of transport more convenient for traveling. After boarding the train which was jam-packed with people. It was Saturday the transport is usually free for daily travelers during the rush hours. After taking the train she waited for a while before she could even see if there was a seat for her. After a few stops, she found one seat to sit.
Evening Trip
It was around 5:00 in the evening on Saturday and Dragland was busy in her own world minding her own business. The train she was on heading to Dublin. The train started its journey from Daly City to the south of San Francisco before crossing the city’s center in the East Bay Area.
The Wait
After boarding the train she was waiting for her stop meanwhile she closed her eyes and the moment she opened them she was left amazed. Where is everybody? The train was filled with people but now it was like there was no soul present. The whole train seemed empty to her. But was it really empty or was it all in her head? She spotted something a little far from her.
From A Distance
What would you do if you find yourself in a situation like hers? Probably, you would try to investigate and even Julie wanted to find out what was happening then. But to find out she had to move but for some reason, her gut feeling was telling her to stay where she was. We all have experienced that one weird feeling in our stomach where it becomes really difficult to tell what we are actually feeling. She realized that few seats away from her there was someone sitting. Though she could only see just the top of the head, she found the courage and moved towards the seat.
Headless Head
You must be thinking about why there is so much hype about an empty train as it’s very normal for a train to get empty. We can’t agree more but as we told you that she traveled on the same route on a daily basis there hasn’t been an incident like this before. Just like us where we know on which station we would find less crowd or more, she knew about this route too and that wasn’t the stop where people deboarded it. But at least, there was one person on the train who could tell what was actually happening.
Hey! What’s Happening?
As she moved towards the person whose head seemed to be visible from the distance she decided to talk to him about the situation she was in. But, there was no one as it was just somebody’s cap who might have forgot it before that person left. She was holding the cap and sat there for a while. But then she found out that it was her coach that was empty and others still had few passengers left. She moved to the next coach of the train and which turned out to be the worst decision of her life.
The Next Coach
Julie moved to the next coach where she saw a few passengers sitting on berths. She was already tired so she sat to the nearest birth she found. Rethinking about everything that happened she was literally terrified. Holding her bag tightly in her arms she was waiting for her stop. The train stopped and she could see people boarding the train. This was the first time she found the crowd in the train satisfying. But then something happened…
Strangers In The Train
Every day we travel with so many strangers and without knowing we sit beside them for hours completing the journey. We can’t tell what is really going on in somebody’s mind and that is the reason why we don’t pay much of an attention to other people. But after knowing what happened to Julie you would not travel the same way you always traveled.
Love For TV Shows
Julie Dragland loves a late-night crime drama. She has watched many crime series and it was one of the tricks from one of the crime series that helped her that day. Her subconscious mind just did what was required at that very moment.
How It All Began?
Julie was feeling a little better but little did she know her life was about to take a very sharp turn that would change everything for her. Her regular life didn’t remain the same after this and who could blame her as it was something nobody wants to experience not even in their dreams.
TV Saved Her Life
Many people say that television rots one’s brain but Julie here is an example that proves it entirely wrong. Even we agree that one should go outdoor more or read a book instead of spending hours sitting in front of a tv watching some movies or tv shows but then you never know what could help you in saving your life.
A Good Employee
As we have already told you that Julie worked as a PR Specialist for SEGA Networks. She lived in Oakland, Californa. And her favorite pass time was to watch the occasional crime drama on weekends or whenever she got time or was in dire need to relax rather than going out with friends.
Killing Time
Though there would be many of you who believe that spending hours in front of the TV is not healthy and one should avoid watching it as much as they could. If Julie would have listened to this advice she wouldn’t have been here telling her story about the most disturbing event of her life.
Fiction Turned Into Reality
In the start, we discussed why we love fiction so much that we wait for years for that one Tv series to bring new and new seasons every year. And the moment the creators finish our favorite series we are left with nothing. It seems like there is nothing left for us to watch and then bam some other new trending show and we are back to square one.
When September Ends
This event that shook Julie to the core happened in September 2017. It was really hard for her to manage the life-threatening situation. Even surrounded by so many people inside the train she couldn’t ask for any help. She could hear her beats in the crowdy train. She closed her eyes to see if all of this was only happening inside her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes which took time to focus as they got blurred due to tears that she has been holding of fear.
Only 15 Left
It was Saturday and 32-year-old was riding to Dublin, an East Bay City. After a moment there were only 15 passengers left inside the train that was traveling with Julie. Little did she know that few of them had some cruel and evil intentions in their mind.
A Blonde Stranger
Julie was sitting at the back when she saw a strawberry-blonde woman boarding the train. She was walking towards Julie even when there were so many seats vacant this woman decided to sit behind Julie. But that wasn’t the scary part, it was the ‘note’ that was put on Julie’s lap. The moment she opened it, Julie’s hands started to shake, her heart was about to get explode from the words that were written on the letter.
Who Was This Woman?
But the question was, who this woman was? Did she know Julie? Or she just chose Julie randomly? Maybe it was because of the fact that Julie was already looking pale from everything that happened to her before this random note happened. What was written on the note? And what was that Tv show trick we are talking about that saved her life? You’ll find out soon.
After The Incident
Even the security footage showed a woman dropping a note on Julie’s lap. Unfortunately, her face wasn’t visible. There was so much confusion in that footage that the authorities weren’t able to identify the face. But it was Julie who was living the moment on repeat even when she didn’t want to.
Not So Common
Anyone who’s ever ridden the BART public transportation will tell you that getting a note from stranger inside the train is very unheard of. And even if someone finds a note then there are chances of it being a note about asking some money or some other not so bothering stuff. This note, however, was something else entirely. Julie couldn’t believe that something like this was happening to her in the middle of the crowd.
The “Note”
A small paper and which carried the most terrifying message: “There are two guns pointed at you now. If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be discreet. Do not turn around until after you have left Civic Center + you will live.” What she did next was saved her life.
Julie’s Reaction
After reading the note Julie couldn’t think straight and how can one? “I started freaking out,” Julie told the San Francisco Chronicle. In the interview, she described everything about the incident in detail. Though she didn’t want to relive the moment what she did after she received the note was something extraordinary.
The Whole Scenario
Obviously, she was scared and who wouldn’t. The note specifically said, there are two guns pointing at her and if she wants to live then she should do what was told. Julie was terrified and that moment she felt so helpless that there was nothing she could do. Eyes rolling down her eyes she closed them tightly to see what could she do now. And she did the unexpected.
Make The Decision
Though there were passengers sitting on the train still, she couldn’t ask for help. She was sitting somewhere at the end of the train and other passengers were a little far away. The only person that was near her was the same person who wrote the letter and according to the letter, he was pointing tow guns at her. She had to do something before it gets too late for everything.
The Impatient One
Julie was terrified and the stranger who was sitting behind her kept asking Julie to hurry up. Julie who was thinking of some way to get herself out from this mess was left with no option but to hand her wallet and cash to the person who wrote the letter. Every time she thought of note the only thing which came in her mind was the two guns that were pointed towards her. But then she caught a glimpse of something…
That One Look
You might have noticed that when we travel on the train and when the train travels underground you can easily see yourself on the side windows of the train, right? There was one moment when the train passed a tunnel and due to the darkness outside she caught a glimpse of the stranger who was sitting behind him and that moment she saw something in her hand which was not looking like a gun but Julie could be wrong.
Mystery Of The Gun
Julie who saw something in that person’s hand was also confused about the fact if there was even a gun. Was this person was just faking to be holding the gun? But how to be sure because what if there were a gun and the person wasn’t lying about it? Julie could meet the most unexpected fate of her life and she was really scared to even move. She had to something really quick as the train was about to reach the last stop and then no one would be left on the train left.
The Note Reminder
Julie who was holding the letter in her hands kept reading the words which were written over it. “There are two guns pointed at you now. If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be discreet. Do not turn around until after you have left Civic Center + you will live.” These words kept her mind busy but it turns out that keeping her mind busy was a good thing because she came up with a brilliant plan that changed everything.
Nothing And Something
When Julie thought there was no hope left for her, she came up with a brilliant plan from nothing. Julie thought why this person isn’t reacting or forcing her for the money and why has he been so patient all this time? You know people how they get frustrated and impatient when they don’t get what they want but this person was sitting there and all he did say was to hurry up!
A Thought That Got Stuck
There was a thought that kept Julie busy. Her gut feeling was telling her that there was no gun in the scene and this note was just dropped to scare her. They way we are conditioned when we hear the word gun and the first thing we feel is fear. Obviously, Julie was scared too when she read the note but then the behavior of this guy was left Julie really confused about everything.
The Note Mystery
Not just the guns, but Julie was now also questioning the note. Maybe the note was there already and somehow ended up being on her lap. And the person who was sitting behind her was not some robber but a genuine passenger who just happened to sit behind her the moment she found the note. So, would she really be killed if she didn’t comply with the conditions?
Indeed A Robber
“Is somebody really going to shoot someone for a phone and a wallet? I started to question it a little bit, but I was still really scared,” she told the Chronicle. She still remained cautious of the robber and the thought of happening something bad didn’t leave her mind.
A Sudden Entry
Just like that one man enters the train and sits some few seats away from Julie. To her, this man was the only help she could get if she wants to get out from this train safely. The man was in his mid-thirties and looked a little tired maybe because of the work and all the traveling we do on a daily basis. She wanted to shout for help but then she was afraid of the man not hearing her and the robber doing something from the note to her.
Help From The Other Side
The man who just entered into the scene was sitting some few seats away from Julie. Julie kept looking at the man in hope of the man might turn back and see the situation or might even look at the terrified face of Julie. But the man didn’t even move an inch from the seat and seemed like he was busy in his own world. What now?
She Tried Her Best
Now, things were getting really tensed on the train as it was about to reach its destination and the robber still was sitting behind Julie in hope that she would soon give up and would give away all her money and stuff. Julie had a plan and she was looking for the moment to execute it and then she found one.
Aware Of Your Surroundings
Julie looked around and was trying to look back at the robber too so that she could catch a glimpse of the gun if it was even there. Gaining all the strength she mouthed “help me” to the same man who was sitting a few seats away from her. But then he didn’t even take a look maybe because her words didn’t reach his eardrums. And then the man got up and left the train.
Nothing Left
Julie was about to reach her station 16th Street and she knew that she had to do something otherwise she would leave her station and might have to sit here for a very long time with the robber. All Julie thought was that she should just give away her wallet and phone and leave the train as soon as possible. But then she came up with a brilliant idea and that idea was from the TV…
Fake It!
Julie came up with an idea of faking a seizure. It was a risky idea but then her gut feeling was telling her to go for it. “If I fake a seizure or fake like I’m passing out, I’m not even not complying,” Julie told CBS San Francisco.
In Hope For Help
She was hoping that this fake seizure might attract the attention of other fellow passengers which would somehow make the robber’s plan a little difficult to complete. “I slumped sideways and started shaking and crying, I closed my eyes and increased the vigor so people would pay attention,” she said in the interview with CBS San Francisco.
Good Samaritans
As Julie faked the attack, a nearby couple noticed her and ran towards her for help. The plan was working. The moment the couple touched her hand she handed over the note to them and it was then the couple read the life-threatening letter they understood the whole story.
The Trick Worked
Faking the seizures helped Julie and she was able to attract the fellow passengers and it was this one couple who came to help her. The train stopped at the Civic Center station and the robber who wrote the note exited the train in the first moment he got. Does this mean Julie was safe now?
A Scam
It was found that there was no gun and there was no one shooting Julie. The note was a dirty trick to get some money from the passengers as the word gun can make anybody sweat for life. The authorities of the Civic Center station searched for the robber but they couldn’t find one.
On Camera
Though authorities found no proof of the woman, they did see her on the BART’s cameras. Still, Julie had no interest in the woman’s arrest because now she was safe. She didn’t even press charges and all she wanted to leave the incident somewhere back in her mind. But after this incident, she has become more vigilant.
Viral Story
She took over the incident on Twitter telling the world about the incident that changed her life forever. “Someone just tried to rob me ‘at gunpoint’ on BART. They sat behind me and dropped this note into my lap.” Later, she even told where she got the seizure idea from.
Law And Order
“I think it had something to do with watching a lot of Law & Order, I think I saw that in an episode. I was very impressed with myself.” So, there you are and now you know how some TV series can save your life in the real world.
Patience Is The Key
What would you have done in this case? Julie was able to keep calm and was able to come up with a great plan that saved her from the most drastic event of her life. A simple crime-drama was able to save her from getting robbed or from getting shot.
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