Mystery Solved....Or Something Else?

[jazz4cash]

It was back again. I hadn’t seen the red Toyota minivan for several months, but here it was again stopped in it’s usual location. It was positioned haphazardly in our cul de sac, several feet from the curb with the driver inside. I couldn’t make out the driver’s features, just an outline. I had seen the van 4 or 5 times over the past 12 months in this exact spot. The van had stickers all over it like people use to brag about their kid’s teams, their dogs, hobbies and so forth. It looked like a typical family minivan. Nonetheless, I had flashbacks to the summons server that stalked DW when she got sued by the folks that bought MIL’s house (another thread). Our police department had chided homeowners at a civic club meeting because it had sent suspicious cars through the neighborhood occasionally, but no one had ever called in a report. The red van usually stayed in this exact spot for 20 minutes or so, but I never actually monitored it that closely. One time I sneered over at the driver’s silhouette several times as I pushed the mower back and forth across the lawn just to let him know he had been observed. I felt silly afterward for not taking note of the license number. Another time I decided to walk over to the car to see what was going on, but the car crept away as I walked down the driveway.

So this was going to be it. I walked down the driveway to retrieve the trash and recycle containers that had been emptied that day and veered abruptly toward the mystery car. I approached cautiously but without hesitation. I tried to portray a friendly demeanor, but I was expecting confrontation!
The window rolled partway down as I approached and a casually dressed grandfatherly gentleman peered through the narrow opening

Me: “Hi! I’ve notice your car parked here before…….”
Stranger: “You’ve got all kinds of creatures that inhabit this exact spot!”
Me: (puzzled) “WHAT?! Uh...you mean the deer?"

At this point I realize there is a woman in the passenger seat as she leans forward peering over her specs and showing me her smart phone display and exclaims “PokemonGO!"

Me: Oh? I didn’t realize people were still doing that.”

They went on to explain that they were hunting until their grandchild was ready for pickup from daycare and they had great luck in this particular spot. I did notice a child seat in the back of the van. They were excited and seemed to think they could suck me into their obsession with PokemonGO. They prattled on until I tore myself away and they drove off. Next time I'll keep my distance and just wave.

 

[mn54]

and you fell for that story. A clever ruse indeed. I especially liked the car seat plant. it's the little things that sell the story.

 

[mpeirce]

It's good to be observant of your surroundings, but there are lots of reasons for people to be parked in odd spots.

I used park in various neighborhoods eating my lunch and reading the WSJ. I liked to get out of the office.

 

[Senator]

I have called the cops on numerous occasions for strange things like this. Often the cops are looking for things to do anyway.

Many crimes are solved, or prevented, with a simple call. Imagine if the people did not want to get 'found', and they did a few things to you so you would not identify them later.

Even asking simple questions to a stranger in the neighborhood, can lead to disastrous consequences. NEVER go it alone.

 

[Mdlerth]

Trust but verify

Next time I'll keep my distance and just wave.

Next time, note the license number as you wave.

 

[zedd]

Coulda' been the Wet Bandits casing the neighborhood.

 

[MRG]

It's good to be observant of your surroundings, but there are lots of reasons for people to be parked in odd spots.

I used park in various neighborhoods eating my lunch and reading the WSJ. I liked to get out of the office.

I see people ever day out sitting in their vehicles. Many reading or just killing time.
Last I knew it's still a free country.

The greatest job I ever had was as a 19 yo kid delivering auto parts on a remote route. The guy who trained me said never show up back in the office before 4:00PM! It takes that long every day, understand?

A couple days a week I had to run up past Lock Haven and Renovo along the river. What a great place, I generally had an hour or more to kill. I guess I could have gone back and swept the clean floors, at $2.35 an hour it didn't seem like a big deal. The view was incredible.

 

[Walt34]

I have called the cops on numerous occasions for strange things like this. Often the cops are looking for things to do anyway.

Always a good thing to do.

I was staking out a stolen car in a residential area (I was in a plain car, a Ford Taurus I think) "reading" a newspaper and some airhead bimbo came out and started questioning me as to what I was doing there. I forget what I told her but it was convincing enough to make her go away.

An hour or so later the guy did come out to the car and we locked him up. A week later I went out to lunch with soon-to-be ex and he was the waiter!

We left.

 

[SheitlQueen]

Someone in our town was suspicious of a white station wagon that kept showing up in their neighborhood, being driven erratically. Turns out it was a lady delivering the local paper.

I think it's a good idea to keep a watch on and perhaps report a strange vehicle, but more than likely they have a legitimate reason for being where they are.

 

[ponyboy]

Its not illegal to sit in a parked car unless its a no parking zone. People are on edge...do not live your lives in fear!

 

[MRG]

I saw this suspicious truck. I've seen him a few days, wonder what he's doing? He's always out there, looking at something?

Maybe stealing a goose? A federal crime.

 

[misshathaway]

Across the street from me is a very long fence. People park there every day, but not the same ones. They are always staring at their phones. I have thought either a. they picked the spot so they would not be blocking the front of anyone's house or b. they are sniffing for open wifi. I choose A but have strong security and occasionally look at what devices are on the local network if I see a car there.

Or maybe Pokemon! Informative forum.

 

[marko]

We live on a street with a great ocean view. Many times folks will stop, sit awhile or take pictures.

Last year a guy was sitting out there all day and half the night and again the next day. We called the cops. Turned out he was a private investigator monitoring a neighbor's activities.

 

[Dawg52]

I live on a cul-de-sac and a couple of years ago there was an old out of town van parked in front of a house just a couple of houses down the street. It was parked before sunrise with several people inside. I was out of town at the time but my neighbor saw it and called the police. Ended up being a filming crew for Netflix about to begin filming the day in the life of a person on the show 'Last Chance U' which has already been mentioned on the Netflix thread. Ha.....what are the odds of a Netflix film crew being parked in your neighborhood? I heard the police was skeptical at first but ended up having a good laugh over it.

 

[Badger]

Its not illegal to sit in a parked car unless its a no parking zone. People are on edge...do not live your lives in fear!

True but it does look suspicious if it is the same unknown car on a number of occasions in a neighbor hood cul de sac.

I would not hesitate to walk past while "talking" on my cell phone and take a picture of the license and car to report to police. Might just be the prudent thing to do. It seems like even the OP police dept thinks it would be a good idea to report it since they "tested the water" by sending a "suspicious" car of their own through. I have been told the same thing by my police dept.

Cheers!

 

[grasshopper]

At our home in the east valley of Maricopa county we had a huge saguaro cactus in the front yard. Every day it seems someone would drive up up get out of their car and take a photo.

 

[Tree-dweller]

I volunteer delivering meals to shut-ins using my own car, and the thought that I likely look like that suspicious car driving slowly through the neighborhood is at the back of my mind. Only once have I been challenged by a neighbor (a little too aggressively - another story) in a neighborhood that had a recent history of break-ins, but I just assume I’m being noticed out the window by neighbors as I roll through these suburban neighborhoods where few vehicles are routinely seen.

 

[Pellice]

I am a birder and do roadside bird surveys in season. A parked car with someone with binoculars! However, people looking see a short, older female and immediately relax Oddly, I am approached much more on rural roads than in suburbs. But I love making converts, so I don't mind. We are given an official letter and sign, but it is never necessary.

Birders are almost completely disinterested in looking at people. If you see a birder in a car, that person is almost always concentrating on a fencepost or telephone pole. In fact, our Code of Ethics forbids turning binoculars directly on a house without permission (though I can't *swear* I wouldn't look at a rooftop with a Great Gray Owl on it )

Starting tomorrow, it's the Great Backyard Bird Count weekend, so you may see us out in greater numbers - GBBC | Great Backyard Bird Count

 

[W2R]

Several times each week I see the same blue Kia parked across the street from my house, sometimes with a man sitting in it and sometimes empty. I finally figured out that he is either a hired caregiver or relative who is there to help the extremely elderly woman living alone in that house.

It never would have occurred to me that this parked car indicated anything nefarious.

 

[RobbieB]

I live on the corner of a 4 lane road and people stop in front all the time.

Take a call, put up garage sale signs, realtor open houses, pick up kids from school, collect door to door solicitor squads, sell security systems, carpet cleaning, home improvement, limp off road (car broke down), pull over with officer friendly with the blue lights flashing to receive their summons.

Never dull here -

 

[tmm99]

You had me on the edge of my seat for the first couple of minutes. You're a good writer.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

We had a neighbor that you would see sporadically parked throughout the neighborhood, sometimes for hours on end. He did this for at least a few weeks, and then he just "disappeared". I assumed that he was just avoiding his wife, but that wasn't the case at all. Apparently he had a pretty serious drug problem; he would go rob local Goodwill stores and then drive his minivan back to the upscale neighborhood and get high. No one assumed anything nefarious was going on...especially since it was a neighbor with a newer minivan and with all the school magnets/stickers on it. Moral of the story? You never know what might be going on...even in the "really good" neighborhoods.

I guess we won't see him around here anymore though, he was given a 35 year sentence with 25 to serve and he still has to face charges in two other counties.

 

[GravitySucks]

A couple years ago a woman was sitting in her SUV in my Cul de Sac and the second day I ask if she needed anything. Private Investigator checking a workers comp claim on a neighbor.
Last fall the Elementary school had a car park near it. Just parked for a half hour. That made the noon news. No troubles, just sat for awhile. Same school someone walked down the street. That made Facebook and Nextdoor. Police were called in both cases. I no longer walk that way when I go to the library. Too much fear in this world.

 

[aja8888]

In our 55+ community which is 20 years old, if a car is parked along a street with someone in it for a long time, they could have been stricken with a stroke or worse, or even dead.

We had one old gent take out a light pole after suffering a diabetic shock when driving home. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt when the concrete pole smashed his car roof:

 

[Scrapr]

few years ago at our vacation home there was a car parked 1 house down for several hours. I'm sort of keeping an eye on 2 dudes doing nothing in particular. Finally I go out to see what's up. People, place & things. They were very out of place. My neighbor comes out at the same times and starts in on em.

We got make, model & plate. Turns out it was stolen car casing the hood from the big town couple hours away

Andy Sipowicz with good advice

https://www.policeone.com/police-jo...dy-Sipowicz-taught-me-about-being-a-beat-cop/