A man lay motionless beside a car on a California mountain road, and a driver who reported it says police later found no one

A group of California friends driving home late at night say they spotted a man lying motionless in the road next to a car on Glendora Ridge, and chose to drive around him rather than stop. According to The Nerd Stash, which reported on an account shared on Reddit, the poster, who goes by ChapGod, described the man as alive. According to ChapGod, the man appeared to be conscious the entire time, which the poster described as making the moment feel even more unsettling.

Once the clip was uploaded to both Reddit and YouTube, it quickly picked up traction, with thousands of people weighing in on what the man might have been up to. “That’s either a trap, or a chronic alcoholic. Either way, want no business with it,” one commenter wrote. Another simply said, “Ambush. Got to be.” A third viewer offered a theory for why the man appeared to be positioned that way.

“Leaving was the correct thing to do. Someone else was hiding somewhere to rob you. Road guy is bait,” they wrote, while a fourth added, “Never stop, you will get robbed or worse.” A separate Reddit user, Trashbagjizz, claimed to have encountered the same man lying in the same spot on Glendora Ridge Road while driving home from Mt. Baldy. This account, like the original, could not be independently verified.

Another Redditor says they saw him too

Glendora Ridge Road itself runs about 12 miles through the San Gabriel Mountains, connecting the town of Glendora to Mt. Baldy Village. It’s known locally for its remote stretches and sharp blind turns despite sitting less than an hour from downtown Los Angeles. “We arrived at this same spot around 5:30am and he was still laying there,” Trashbagjizz wrote.

According to that same commenter, they contacted authorities right after driving off. A follow-up call the next day reportedly came back with confirmation that no one matching that description turned up during the search. One commenter responded to Trashbagjizz’s account by referencing similar tactics used elsewhere. “This is a common robbery set up in other countries. Never get out of the car, just call the police,” they wrote.

Suspicious staged scenarios meant to lure people out of their vehicles have circulated online before, including a claim from a Utah woman alleging two men posing as mechanics deliberately disabled her car in a Costco parking lot. The original poster also noted the exact placement mattered, since the man was set up right next to a spot where two mountain roads meet and cars are required by law to come to a full stop.

“That’s what made it more creepy tbh, it’s the intersection to get back down and go home for me,” they said. Law enforcement agencies generally echo the instinct this group of friends followed. According to guidance from the Fremont Police Department, drivers are advised not to stop to aid motorists stopped along the roadside. If someone does approach a stalled vehicle, the recommendation is to stay locked inside, roll the window down only slightly, and ask the person to call police rather than getting out to investigate directly.

None of the claims made in this story, including the man’s presence, the second sighting, or the police follow-up, have been independently confirmed.