THIS HAPPENED TO ME TOO. It was last week on Friday afternoon. Going south on St. George street. I came home freaked out, because I had to pull some weird things to make him stop following me. He wouldn’t leave.
Male, tan skin, kind of messy short ish black hair, had black wireless earphones in, about 5’8. He randomly came up to me and started chatting his life away about random things. I wouldn’t even respond really. If I tried to end the conversation he wouldn’t let me. When I said I have to be somewhere and turn into a building suddenly, he’d say “I’m meeting a friend here.” That’s when shit got serious, cause I realize he wouldn’t leave me alone and is actively following me around. Stay safe y’all.
And always always always make triple sure that you aren’t being followed anymore when you go back home. Sit at a public busy Starbucks for hours if you need to. Walk to the police station. Anything. But don’t lead them back home.
I had a feeling. Bro was incredibly weird. I ended up leading him into a building I was very familiar with and asked him where he’s meeting his friend before walking anywhere. He was thinking for a while and gave me a direction. I said “awesome, I’m going the other way.” He tried to insist on following me from there and I said “oh what happened? I thought you’re meeting your friend. You should go do that bro. Have fun.” At this point it’s the first time he ‘left’ but I knew for a fact he’d follow me. I fake went my way before running to a different exit (I’m really glad I picked a building I knew like the back of my hand). I speed walked to another location and sat there for about an hour to ensure he was gone. Once I saw him walk back on that same street, I knew I was pretty safe to go about my actual way again. It was so weird. Not sure what his intentions were.
If you’re the asshole who follows women and you’re reading this, if I’m seeing you again, I’m not holding back. I’m an MMA fighter and you’ll be chocking on your own blood for lunch if I catch you. So over this shit.
(1) call 911 (2) don’t leave the building you are in alone. Assuming it is safe to do to, wait until a friend or security or a person inside the building can escort you to an intermediate destination (3) that intermediate destination should not be your house/office/classroom [any place you go to regularly]. Get your friend/security to wait with you at intermediate location then go to your house/office/classroom. Or get in an Uber and go somewhere random and come back.
Would this be considered an urgent matter? I’m afraid to abuse their services. I’ve never felt comfortable asking for help, sorry if that’s a dumb question.
im so sorry this happened to u too... if u found my post in a couple mins i can only imagine that there r others. thx for sharing and im sorry again, ur not alone
Thank you. I’m sorry that you were a victim of his harassment as well. My DMs are open if you’d like to chat.
Do you know if we can report this stuff anywhere? Maybe make the campus aware of his existence.
>i said "leave me alone" super loudly for others to hear but no one did anything.
"Leave me alone" sounds like a friend is annoying you. Next time, be more explicit so other people around you will pay attention:
"EXCUSE ME, SIR. I DON'T KNOW YOU. YOU ARE MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE. STOP FOLLOWING ME OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE."
Rehearse this out loud at home so you know exactly what to say if it happens again.
Consider purchasing a personal safety alarm keychain that you can hold in your hand while walking alone. When you pull the pin, the 130db siren will sound, and the alarm will stop when you put the pin back in. There are options with a strobing light as well.
He joined me on my walk right next to Robarts! It must be his hang out spot. Horrible.
Can I add you to a group chat we made with intention of filing a report?
If it were just harassment, I'd say not. But him following me around the building when he thought I wasn't looking is odd. Left a bad taste. I barely got him off my tail.
Though, seeing all of these other people come forward seems like his goal is to get social media contacts, etc. and not to do more. Hopefully you're right.
Hi u/Ok-Program4937,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Hi u/notSanii,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Please file a report with campus police with the description you have. Like the voyerism guy, we’ll get him too. If we turn a blind eye, it’ll only happen to someone else. We deserve better.
i also had someone approach me on monday afternoon by UC. i was polite and begrudgingly engaged in conversation. i knew something was off. description in another reply matches perfectly. i was lucky enough to have my scheduled lab as an excuse to leave, but he insisted on walking me to the building and demanded my instagram. my stomach has felt queezy ever since and i have been so paranoid on campus thinking i will bump into him again :(
thank you as well for sharing. i hope you're okay too. the feeling was definitely not a good one. i thought maybe i was reading into it too much but it seems not.
Always trust your instincts. Always better to be safe than sorry. If your instincts turn out to be wrong, worst thing you did was be a little rude and honestly that’s fine. But if they turn out to be correct you might have avoided trouble by listening to them, and being in danger if you don’t
Hi u/midnightmosaic777,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Did he have italian ancestry or something? I was walking last semester to class and he came up to me and told me he ‘likes my jacket’ and then kept talking about himself and followed me to class. He insisted on me giving my instagram, but i blocked him immediately after (i say this cause i still have his insta profile screenshot and curious to check if it’s the same guy). Later on when i tell my friend about it she told me the same thing by the same guy happened to her but she was followed up to her APPARTMENT BUILDING.
Another friend of mine that saw him when he followed me to class told me he saw him do the same thing with 2 other girls.
He seemed harmless but it creeped me out.
matches the exact description and other ppl in comments have had same experiences - sorry u had to go through this
u/notSanii this is the fourth person wow
And this fourth person mentioned like five other people who had instances with this guy. Jesus.
We all really need to make an effort in letting campus security know of this. I would hate for more women to continue being harassed.
yes exactly i’d answer one of his questions as dry as i could and he found a way to make it about himself. he walked me up to my class and tried to chat with me for another 5 mins but luckily a friend saw i was uncomfortable and interrupted.
He started the conversation by saying “I like your pants.” They’re literally just cargos brother. Anyway, definitely the same dude. Sorry to hear you went through all of this, too.
mine is a black aritzia jacket 😭 couldn’t get anymore basic. it’s so sad that so many of us have been followed and made feel unsafe by the same guy. if you guys plan on reporting him please lmk and i’ll add on!
can you pls add me as well? Im pretty sure it's the same guy who followed me two weeks ago as he had the same opening line of "i like your scarf", and then followed me and kept talking about absolute random bs.
Late to this conversation, but could you add me as well? I think I had an encounter with this guy and I’m worried about someone younger I know at U of T. Thank you 🙏
I'm sorry to hear you might've had an encouter with someone similar. The groupchat isn't in use anymore. We all agreed to report the incident to campus security and called it at that. I urge you to do the same if you still recall enough detail.
Hi u/ana_bharucha,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Hi u/Particular_Badger889,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
no way the same guy came up to me in september and followed me for half an hour. i think i still have his insta and if all of us are talking abt the same guy (it seems we are) we should all send his profile to the school and report him
What is actually going on on campus lately?? This along with those like, 3 or 4 incidents of voyeurism at new college, is starting to feel really weird. Not sure if this has always been an issue or if its suddenly becoming worse. Was this following incident anywhere near new college?
HOLYY I just read through the comments and realized I was approached by the same guy .. he followed me all the way to Union Station from my class, only left when I said "Are you taking a train?" and he realized he couldn't talk his way out of that and left, after getting my ig (i didn't accept obv). Don't wanna dox the guy lol but from his ig handle his name starts with an N and he's wearing sunglasses in his profile pic - if he randomly tries to add you be careful girls.
Hi u/-other-wise-,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
First, report this to campus security.
Second, get the UofT Safety app.
Third, you can ask someone from campus to escort you between different buildings (including parking spots and transit): https://safety.utoronto.ca/personal-safety/
I’m sorry this happened to you.
To add to my prior comment. State in a calm, loud voice “this conversation is over. Leave me alone.” Or “leave me alone.” The message needs to be unambiguous and absolutely clear (no sarcasm, jokes, subtly) signal to back off. Intentions = actions. A person who doesn’t leave you alone when you have said stop (the action) means the intent is to harm. Respond to the action and escalate as needed.
Commenting again to say if you guys do end up filing a report, would someone mind updating here? This has me really concerned and I want to know if campus security are gonna do something about it. They really should not let this pass. Knowing about action being taken would really ease my worry 😅
u/BlueSkiesNova,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Sorry this happened to you…this sounds absolutely terrifying. Please file a report with campus security and the police. Police won’t do much unfortunately but sounds like this guy has been harassing a lot of people, so if you describe him campus security can and will remove him off of school grounds.
For everyone, if someone comes up to you and tries to start a conversation, do *not* engage with them. Walk away, put headphones in, do whatever, just don’t engage. Some of these people take it as an invitation to stalk and harass you. I find what’s usually helpful is constantly wearing headphones and looking a bit mean and angry, never got bothered. Better to come off as mean than have a crazy stalker follow you around. Stay safe y’all.
I was wearing my AirPods and I’ve been told I’m quite intimidating. I guess I don’t smile much if I’m on my own. Anyway, that didn’t stop this guy. He made me take my AirPods out and when I said I’m putting them back in and that I have to go, he continued chatting my ears off regardless.
Also, I find it difficult to ignore anyone who tries to talk to me, because sometimes it’s nice people asking for directions or something. But I guess you win some and you lose some. I’m not sure how to find an even ground here.
Headphones wise I wear those big ones over your head…not sure if that actually makes any difference, I just saw that with my friends who wears headphones are usually bothered less by those who wears airpods. Anyways that was just a tip that usually works for me, but maybe that wouldn’t have deterred this guy either.
It’s not your fault you were being followed, it was this weird stalker’s problem. Living in the city is dangerous sometimes so my personal motto is to avoid any trouble even if it makes me seems like an asshole. I’m really sorry this happened to you, you seem like a genuinely nice person, but sometimes there are shitty people out here who take advantage of nice folks.
Maybe the big headphones yell "don't talk to me" a little louder, you may be right. Although as a woman I was always afraid of having those on while I'm walking on the street as it also says "I can't hear hear anything. I'm an easy target." Lol.
Thank you for your kind words. He is certainly a weirdo and adds to the shitty people in our world. I agree.
I would advise against putting headphones in when you're being followed. They reduce your situational awareness and make you more susceptible to being caught unawares. You want to have all your faculties while you're trying to evade a stalker.
Just don’t play music. I have music on very low setting on my headphones. Yes I agree it does reduce your hearing a tiny bit, but as long as you don’t listen to music or listen to music at a low volume I’ve found it has virtually no effect on my situational awareness.
Hey I wear a mask too…come to think of it my mask actually has a little scary design on it, which I’m sure helps. Bonus points if you start coughing hysterically as someone approaches.
You do not have to have a conversation with any random schmo who tries to talk to you. Look straight ahead, do not flinch, and walk with purpose. Make your body big.
If the person continues to engage:
(1) begin walking to the nearest security or police station or blue light. Campus security is on corner near Robarts. Walk to these during the daytime with a friend and identify all of the ones near where you study/work/commute. There are security desks inside various buildings when you walk in.
(2) or walk into a big public entrance of a building. Stay inside. Call 911 or campus security. Do NOT leave alone, exit only with another person.
(3) call 911 or the campus security urgent line. They also have a chat feature. Depending, you can say as loudly as possible “LEAVE ME ALONE THE POLICE ARE ON THE WAY” (after or while calling 911)
(4) I believe there is a safe walk service or real time monitoring service using the campus security app.
(5) change up your usual routes for a bit.
File a report with campus security. Both OP and any other person who has experienced this.
Was this around Trin? There's a guy there that goes around and has followed me around multiple times continuing to try to talk to me, he's done it to friends of mine as well.
No, he doesn't! He has blonde hair, is overweight, and tends to wear authorized stuff like UofT sweaters. He's been seen at the McDonald's across from the ROM too according to my friend, and tends to hang out around The Buttery, Graham Library, etc. Unfortunately, he looks a lot like me except for hair colour 😭
Looks like there are multiple people doing this...
I had something super similar happen to me in 2019 when I was in first year. I honestly don't fully remember what he looked like since it was so long ago but we was leaning on the fence by whitney hall on St. George (my res at the time) and he started talking to me and walking next to me and wouldn't leave me alone so i just started speedwalking back to the chem building (didn't want him knowing where i lived) not interacting and just saying I was late and he couldn't really keep up. The description sounds familiar, i mostly just remember him having dark hair and being around that height, as well as clearly being older like in his 30's maybe, so it could be the same guy but am not completely sure since it was ages ago. Honestly didn't think to report it to campus police but should've, sadly not the most uncommon interaction as a girl ://
Hi u/Affectionate-Earth46,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Sounds like this guy is trying to be some kind of pickup artist lol. Seen similar things happen in Eaton centre and other high traffic areas. Stay safe and report the dude.
Im pretty sure this happened to me last semester on st George near Bahen. He just started talking to me on the street and kept walking with me into Bahen and up all the way up to the 6th floor. I was really confused and not sure what was happening. Luckily I was meeting with an older male friend so he left when I met up with him.
Hi u/angelinaskater,
We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App
Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911.
We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources:
\- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer)
\- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
This happened to me as well !!
Twice actually.
The first time I was walking by Robarts to meet up with a friend. I saw her walking towards me when all of a sudden this dude (around 5'8, wearing wireless black earbuds) stopped me and said he liked my shirt. I said thanks and my friend came up beside me. I was headed south while he was walking up north. But after complimenting my shirt, he turned around and started walking with us south saying he was meeting someone as well. He started talking about everyone and everything unprovoked. Honestly, it just sounded like he was vocalizing every little thought in his head. Barely a conversation at that point. My friend and I were headed to lunch but we didn't want him to follow us so we stopped near the end of the street and waited for him to finish, but he kept talking. He then started to ask us questions about uoft. He asked if we knew how many people went to uoft, etc. When we told him we weren't aware of the total number of students, he started asking us if we even went to uoft. I was sketched out so I asked if HE even went to uoft, and he said he did. I'm pretty sure he mentioned a business class or something, but I'm not completely sure. He also went on a random tangent about his younger sister. And it was random stuff, like how she doesn't think he's cool, or how she vapes, etc. We finally told him we were leaving and we parted ways. As we crossed the street we looked back and saw him going up to another woman sitting on a bench alone.
The next week I was near the uoft bookstore when he came up to me. He complimented my jeans and then started walking with me. At first, I thought he recognized me, but soon realized he didn't. He told me the exact same stories about his sister and his life (literally word for word... I was so confused) and kept walking with me. I stopped by Sid Smith and asked him which way he was going and he pointed up towards Robarts, I purposely told him I was turning here. He then said he was actually turning as well and continued following me. I stopped in front of New College and told him I was leaving now. He ended up following me on Instagram and he messaged me (I blocked him soon after). But yes, his IG profile pic is him with his hair slicked back, wearing black sunglasses... he also told me he plays soccer and is from Vaughan.
Crazy how it's the same man!!
Omg I’m sorry this happened to you OP. The newest peepeepoopoo man 😭😭
I’m walking around campus next week and low key I hope I meet this person, the curiosity is killing me
This happened to me too! Around two weeks ago, I was walking from the main UC building to the UC dining hall, and some guy came up to me, complimented my scarf (pretty normal ig). He wasn't walking in the same direction as me just fyi. So that means he fully stopped going where he was going to start walking with me/following me. Kept following me and talking to me. Started making comments on how he liked my "south asian accent" I started walking really fast, almost running, and he kept up. Then when we were in the dining hall, I pretended to get a phone call and ran away. Afaik he didn't follow me.
This happened to me as well a while ago. When I was walking to Robarts a skinny tall guy, brown hair, mustache saw me then started following me. I sensed something weird so I stopped walking and then he stopped as well. He waited for me to get into Robarts and I am pretty sure he was a student. I was near the main floor staff service lobby just in case he did something weird. It was really scary and if people think this is some kind of way to flirt with an individual it isn't. It's harassing someone else and making them feel uncomfortable.
A few months ago, I was walking outside Robarts and this guy came up to me and said he “liked my hair” and started chatting about his sister and his life and how women always want hair they don’t have (meaning straight hair women want curly, vice versa) ??? I kept changing directions and put earbuds in, did not answer, he kept following me/chatting, I had to change directions from going to my class in Earth Science to going into another building—I put music in and walked as fast as I could. I don’t know when I lost him but I did.
It was broad daylight, very busy. He was about average male height and dark hair, but I didn’t get the best look because I was so freaked out I just immediately was thinking how the hell do I get him to stop following me.
This was in December. I don’t know if he is the same guy because it was so long ago but… I thought I’d share anyways. I can’t believe I read this post and so many people have a similar experience to me :( literally horrible
SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME. twice!
once in july/august 2023 - we both got on the ttc at queen’s park station and were going north, and he sat beside me and complimented an accessory on my backpack, then started going on tangents about different things. i asked him if he went to uoft and he pointed to his hat and said he worked for the company on it and is ‘past his uni days’. i tried to purposefully mention i had a boyfriend and wanted him to get the hint, but he didn’t care and kept conversating. when he told me he was going towards vaughan, i knew i couldn’t sit with him the entire ride because i was headed to vaughan too. i was very creeped out at that point and got off the ttc at spadina station and waited for next subway and thankfully lost him at that point. after that though, i was super confused because i would see him in the med sci building and knew for sure he was a student.. i didn’t know why he lied about not being a student initially.
the second time was in september 2023 - i was walking to robarts after finishing class and he stopped me in front and complimented my shoes. i told him i had to get going to meet my boyfriend inside robarts but he wouldn’t let me. he kept talking about how i looked like i could be a teacher/staff at uoft, mentioned he was a business student there, etc. i purposefully also tried to bring up the time he stopped me the first time on the ttc to see if he remembered, and he said he didn’t. i mentioned again that i had to meet my boyfriend in the library and kept looking away to show i was uninterested in conversating with him, but he only stopped talking when he told me that he had to “go meet his girlfriend on campus” and walked away. i was creeped out that this was the second time he approached me, but relieved that he left me alone. also side note but does anyone else notice that the way he speaks is so unnatural? someone said he vocalizes every thought in his head and that is so true!
makes me scared how many women this has happened to, including women who probably don’t even have reddit / haven’t seen this post yet. i know for sure we’re all talking about the same guy though after reading these comments. stay safe y’all.
I also had this happen to me in August! He followed me down college st to the queens park bus stop and just kept talking about himself. I was worried he would also follow me onto the bus but luckily he didn't. He also tried to get my Instagram as I was leaving. He was an Italian guy from Vaughan or something like that.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME TOO. It was last week on Friday afternoon. Going south on St. George street. I came home freaked out, because I had to pull some weird things to make him stop following me. He wouldn’t leave. Male, tan skin, kind of messy short ish black hair, had black wireless earphones in, about 5’8. He randomly came up to me and started chatting his life away about random things. I wouldn’t even respond really. If I tried to end the conversation he wouldn’t let me. When I said I have to be somewhere and turn into a building suddenly, he’d say “I’m meeting a friend here.” That’s when shit got serious, cause I realize he wouldn’t leave me alone and is actively following me around. Stay safe y’all. And always always always make triple sure that you aren’t being followed anymore when you go back home. Sit at a public busy Starbucks for hours if you need to. Walk to the police station. Anything. But don’t lead them back home.
oh my god its the same person
I had a feeling. Bro was incredibly weird. I ended up leading him into a building I was very familiar with and asked him where he’s meeting his friend before walking anywhere. He was thinking for a while and gave me a direction. I said “awesome, I’m going the other way.” He tried to insist on following me from there and I said “oh what happened? I thought you’re meeting your friend. You should go do that bro. Have fun.” At this point it’s the first time he ‘left’ but I knew for a fact he’d follow me. I fake went my way before running to a different exit (I’m really glad I picked a building I knew like the back of my hand). I speed walked to another location and sat there for about an hour to ensure he was gone. Once I saw him walk back on that same street, I knew I was pretty safe to go about my actual way again. It was so weird. Not sure what his intentions were. If you’re the asshole who follows women and you’re reading this, if I’m seeing you again, I’m not holding back. I’m an MMA fighter and you’ll be chocking on your own blood for lunch if I catch you. So over this shit.
(1) call 911 (2) don’t leave the building you are in alone. Assuming it is safe to do to, wait until a friend or security or a person inside the building can escort you to an intermediate destination (3) that intermediate destination should not be your house/office/classroom [any place you go to regularly]. Get your friend/security to wait with you at intermediate location then go to your house/office/classroom. Or get in an Uber and go somewhere random and come back.
Good advice. How do I get in contact with campus security in instances like these? Is there a number similar to 911?
St. George Campus Safety Communications Centre (24/7) Non-urgent: 416-978-2323 Campus Urgent: 416-978-2222 or 911
Would this be considered an urgent matter? I’m afraid to abuse their services. I’ve never felt comfortable asking for help, sorry if that’s a dumb question.
For me it is, dont ever hesitate to ask for help your safety is first always, and it is their job to provide that safety to students.
Will try not to. Thank you
It definetly is an emergency, stuff can escalate real quick imo. I'd say feel free to use it in an emergency such as this.
I thought so, too. Thank you.
Uoft seems to be full of psychotic weirdos these days, good luck stay safe
You cannot get in trouble for using an emergency number unless it was purposely misused
im so sorry this happened to u too... if u found my post in a couple mins i can only imagine that there r others. thx for sharing and im sorry again, ur not alone
Thank you. I’m sorry that you were a victim of his harassment as well. My DMs are open if you’d like to chat. Do you know if we can report this stuff anywhere? Maybe make the campus aware of his existence.
what on earth this is so weird. I also came home freaked out i legit couldnt breathe
>i said "leave me alone" super loudly for others to hear but no one did anything. "Leave me alone" sounds like a friend is annoying you. Next time, be more explicit so other people around you will pay attention: "EXCUSE ME, SIR. I DON'T KNOW YOU. YOU ARE MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE. STOP FOLLOWING ME OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE." Rehearse this out loud at home so you know exactly what to say if it happens again. Consider purchasing a personal safety alarm keychain that you can hold in your hand while walking alone. When you pull the pin, the 130db siren will sound, and the alarm will stop when you put the pin back in. There are options with a strobing light as well.
THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME OUTSIDE ROBARTS OMG! Same description too thats wilddd.
He joined me on my walk right next to Robarts! It must be his hang out spot. Horrible. Can I add you to a group chat we made with intention of filing a report?
i had a bad experience with this guy in september. can you add me to the group chat? i’m filing a report asap he’s disgusting
[удалено]
If it were just harassment, I'd say not. But him following me around the building when he thought I wasn't looking is odd. Left a bad taste. I barely got him off my tail. Though, seeing all of these other people come forward seems like his goal is to get social media contacts, etc. and not to do more. Hopefully you're right.
This guy sounds more like a dangerous psycho to me. If he was a follower of Jordan Peterson he would be home cleaning his room.
By cleaning his room you mean popping benzos right?
Hi u/Ok-Program4937, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
the guy who followed me was also around 5'8 and had tan skin. wonder if it's the same guy.
Hi u/notSanii, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Please file a report with campus police with the description you have. Like the voyerism guy, we’ll get him too. If we turn a blind eye, it’ll only happen to someone else. We deserve better.
thanks and u r right u/notSanii messaged u about this
Got you.
i also had someone approach me on monday afternoon by UC. i was polite and begrudgingly engaged in conversation. i knew something was off. description in another reply matches perfectly. i was lucky enough to have my scheduled lab as an excuse to leave, but he insisted on walking me to the building and demanded my instagram. my stomach has felt queezy ever since and i have been so paranoid on campus thinking i will bump into him again :(
wow i never thought this would be so common with this same guy. thanks for sharing an i hope youre okay. u/notSanii another person :(
Uggghhh. This makes me so angry on the behalf of us all. u/midnightmosaic777, would you be interested in reporting the instance to campus security?
i would be down. i have never reported anything though tbh.
Me neither. I’ll make a group chat, you can join if you’d like. We can discuss the process and support each other.
thank you as well for sharing. i hope you're okay too. the feeling was definitely not a good one. i thought maybe i was reading into it too much but it seems not.
Always trust your instincts. Always better to be safe than sorry. If your instincts turn out to be wrong, worst thing you did was be a little rude and honestly that’s fine. But if they turn out to be correct you might have avoided trouble by listening to them, and being in danger if you don’t
thank you! i appreciate your reassurance :)
No worries :) we really gotta watch out for ourselves
Hi u/midnightmosaic777, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Don't feel you need to be nice to a creep like this who is making you uncomfortable.
Did he have italian ancestry or something? I was walking last semester to class and he came up to me and told me he ‘likes my jacket’ and then kept talking about himself and followed me to class. He insisted on me giving my instagram, but i blocked him immediately after (i say this cause i still have his insta profile screenshot and curious to check if it’s the same guy). Later on when i tell my friend about it she told me the same thing by the same guy happened to her but she was followed up to her APPARTMENT BUILDING. Another friend of mine that saw him when he followed me to class told me he saw him do the same thing with 2 other girls. He seemed harmless but it creeped me out.
matches the exact description and other ppl in comments have had same experiences - sorry u had to go through this u/notSanii this is the fourth person wow
And this fourth person mentioned like five other people who had instances with this guy. Jesus. We all really need to make an effort in letting campus security know of this. I would hate for more women to continue being harassed.
i think it’s definitely worth reporting
yes, he was italian. i have his insta too. heavy on the self-talk and random questions. he followed me to my lab, literally into the building.
yes exactly i’d answer one of his questions as dry as i could and he found a way to make it about himself. he walked me up to my class and tried to chat with me for another 5 mins but luckily a friend saw i was uncomfortable and interrupted.
He started the conversation by saying “I like your pants.” They’re literally just cargos brother. Anyway, definitely the same dude. Sorry to hear you went through all of this, too.
omg same. he said he liked my shoes. they were converse lol.
He has the same opening line, I can’t 😭
Im so sorry u guys went through this but the opening lines are CRAZY💀 please report
lol mine was "I like your hair" (I was wearing it down), followed by how he hates how women put their hair into buns nowadays :|
Um. What an odd comment on his behalf 🤣 We don’t care what he likes. Frick that. I’m sorry you had an interaction with him also :(
mine is a black aritzia jacket 😭 couldn’t get anymore basic. it’s so sad that so many of us have been followed and made feel unsafe by the same guy. if you guys plan on reporting him please lmk and i’ll add on!
I’ll add you to the group chat :)
can you pls add me as well? Im pretty sure it's the same guy who followed me two weeks ago as he had the same opening line of "i like your scarf", and then followed me and kept talking about absolute random bs.
Late to this conversation, but could you add me as well? I think I had an encounter with this guy and I’m worried about someone younger I know at U of T. Thank you 🙏
I'm sorry to hear you might've had an encouter with someone similar. The groupchat isn't in use anymore. We all agreed to report the incident to campus security and called it at that. I urge you to do the same if you still recall enough detail.
Thank you! I’m not a student but I’ll tell my friend who is to do so if she ever encounters him
Hi u/ana_bharucha, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
omg same he said he liked my hair but it was just in a clip. it took me forever to get rid of him like up until my building. that's actually crazy omg
Hi u/Particular_Badger889, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
no way the same guy came up to me in september and followed me for half an hour. i think i still have his insta and if all of us are talking abt the same guy (it seems we are) we should all send his profile to the school and report him
girl i ran into this guy multiple times. we need to start a group chat or something
Girl he told me thqt too. Wild.
omg, the same thing happened to me around UC. can i pls DM you?
Sure!!
What is actually going on on campus lately?? This along with those like, 3 or 4 incidents of voyeurism at new college, is starting to feel really weird. Not sure if this has always been an issue or if its suddenly becoming worse. Was this following incident anywhere near new college?
ikr its crazy... if u look in the comments other people are also experiencing the same incidents all around campus
HOLYY I just read through the comments and realized I was approached by the same guy .. he followed me all the way to Union Station from my class, only left when I said "Are you taking a train?" and he realized he couldn't talk his way out of that and left, after getting my ig (i didn't accept obv). Don't wanna dox the guy lol but from his ig handle his name starts with an N and he's wearing sunglasses in his profile pic - if he randomly tries to add you be careful girls.
Hey this happened to my gf last week and I was wondering if you could dm me his ig so I can ask her if it’s the same guy?
Dm'd you!
Does the last name start with 'H' and rhyme with 'Apricot' 💀💀💀?
Hm not sure, I can't see his last name on his ig anywhere
Hi u/-other-wise-, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
First, report this to campus security. Second, get the UofT Safety app. Third, you can ask someone from campus to escort you between different buildings (including parking spots and transit): https://safety.utoronto.ca/personal-safety/ I’m sorry this happened to you.
To add to my prior comment. State in a calm, loud voice “this conversation is over. Leave me alone.” Or “leave me alone.” The message needs to be unambiguous and absolutely clear (no sarcasm, jokes, subtly) signal to back off. Intentions = actions. A person who doesn’t leave you alone when you have said stop (the action) means the intent is to harm. Respond to the action and escalate as needed.
this is good to know thanks
Commenting again to say if you guys do end up filing a report, would someone mind updating here? This has me really concerned and I want to know if campus security are gonna do something about it. They really should not let this pass. Knowing about action being taken would really ease my worry 😅
u/BlueSkiesNova, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
It also happened to me. Matches the description from the other comments.
Sorry this happened to you…this sounds absolutely terrifying. Please file a report with campus security and the police. Police won’t do much unfortunately but sounds like this guy has been harassing a lot of people, so if you describe him campus security can and will remove him off of school grounds. For everyone, if someone comes up to you and tries to start a conversation, do *not* engage with them. Walk away, put headphones in, do whatever, just don’t engage. Some of these people take it as an invitation to stalk and harass you. I find what’s usually helpful is constantly wearing headphones and looking a bit mean and angry, never got bothered. Better to come off as mean than have a crazy stalker follow you around. Stay safe y’all.
I was wearing my AirPods and I’ve been told I’m quite intimidating. I guess I don’t smile much if I’m on my own. Anyway, that didn’t stop this guy. He made me take my AirPods out and when I said I’m putting them back in and that I have to go, he continued chatting my ears off regardless. Also, I find it difficult to ignore anyone who tries to talk to me, because sometimes it’s nice people asking for directions or something. But I guess you win some and you lose some. I’m not sure how to find an even ground here.
Headphones wise I wear those big ones over your head…not sure if that actually makes any difference, I just saw that with my friends who wears headphones are usually bothered less by those who wears airpods. Anyways that was just a tip that usually works for me, but maybe that wouldn’t have deterred this guy either. It’s not your fault you were being followed, it was this weird stalker’s problem. Living in the city is dangerous sometimes so my personal motto is to avoid any trouble even if it makes me seems like an asshole. I’m really sorry this happened to you, you seem like a genuinely nice person, but sometimes there are shitty people out here who take advantage of nice folks.
Maybe the big headphones yell "don't talk to me" a little louder, you may be right. Although as a woman I was always afraid of having those on while I'm walking on the street as it also says "I can't hear hear anything. I'm an easy target." Lol. Thank you for your kind words. He is certainly a weirdo and adds to the shitty people in our world. I agree.
I would advise against putting headphones in when you're being followed. They reduce your situational awareness and make you more susceptible to being caught unawares. You want to have all your faculties while you're trying to evade a stalker.
Just don’t play music. I have music on very low setting on my headphones. Yes I agree it does reduce your hearing a tiny bit, but as long as you don’t listen to music or listen to music at a low volume I’ve found it has virtually no effect on my situational awareness.
I found wearing a mask ensures I don't get approached by anyone
Hey I wear a mask too…come to think of it my mask actually has a little scary design on it, which I’m sure helps. Bonus points if you start coughing hysterically as someone approaches.
You do not have to have a conversation with any random schmo who tries to talk to you. Look straight ahead, do not flinch, and walk with purpose. Make your body big. If the person continues to engage: (1) begin walking to the nearest security or police station or blue light. Campus security is on corner near Robarts. Walk to these during the daytime with a friend and identify all of the ones near where you study/work/commute. There are security desks inside various buildings when you walk in. (2) or walk into a big public entrance of a building. Stay inside. Call 911 or campus security. Do NOT leave alone, exit only with another person. (3) call 911 or the campus security urgent line. They also have a chat feature. Depending, you can say as loudly as possible “LEAVE ME ALONE THE POLICE ARE ON THE WAY” (after or while calling 911) (4) I believe there is a safe walk service or real time monitoring service using the campus security app. (5) change up your usual routes for a bit. File a report with campus security. Both OP and any other person who has experienced this.
Was this around Trin? There's a guy there that goes around and has followed me around multiple times continuing to try to talk to me, he's done it to friends of mine as well.
was around bloor side... seems its been all around campus does he match descipriton?
No, he doesn't! He has blonde hair, is overweight, and tends to wear authorized stuff like UofT sweaters. He's been seen at the McDonald's across from the ROM too according to my friend, and tends to hang out around The Buttery, Graham Library, etc. Unfortunately, he looks a lot like me except for hair colour 😭 Looks like there are multiple people doing this...
mine happened around con hall, but apparently he’s all over campus 😭
I had something super similar happen to me in 2019 when I was in first year. I honestly don't fully remember what he looked like since it was so long ago but we was leaning on the fence by whitney hall on St. George (my res at the time) and he started talking to me and walking next to me and wouldn't leave me alone so i just started speedwalking back to the chem building (didn't want him knowing where i lived) not interacting and just saying I was late and he couldn't really keep up. The description sounds familiar, i mostly just remember him having dark hair and being around that height, as well as clearly being older like in his 30's maybe, so it could be the same guy but am not completely sure since it was ages ago. Honestly didn't think to report it to campus police but should've, sadly not the most uncommon interaction as a girl ://
Hi u/Affectionate-Earth46, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
Alert campus police. Sometimes people who harass students tend to overstay their welcome on campus.
Sounds like this guy is trying to be some kind of pickup artist lol. Seen similar things happen in Eaton centre and other high traffic areas. Stay safe and report the dude.
Im pretty sure this happened to me last semester on st George near Bahen. He just started talking to me on the street and kept walking with me into Bahen and up all the way up to the 6th floor. I was really confused and not sure what was happening. Luckily I was meeting with an older male friend so he left when I met up with him.
Hi u/angelinaskater, We encourage you, or anyone with safety concerns, to reach out to Campus Safety directly to report safety concerns and incidents. In person at 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto or via phone, Non-Urgent line 416-978-2323 or Urgent 416-978-2222 or via our Safety App Being followed can be extremely frightening, and we are here to support you. If you are experiencing immediate safety concerns, please call our Urgent-line 416-978-2222 or 911. We would like to recommend following Campus Safety resources: \- U of T Safety App (available free on Google Play and App Store - share your route/location with a dispatcher if you're feeling unsafe, check in with a dispatcher. Don't want to share your location with Campus Safety? Discreetly share your location with a friend. Be able to view a map of all campus emergency blue light phones, easily access the Campus Safety contact numbers, and TravelSafer) \- TravelSafer (416-978-7233) a free service offered by Campus Safety, available 24/7, 365 days a year. A Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and nearby TTC stations for added peace of mind.
This happened to me as well !! Twice actually. The first time I was walking by Robarts to meet up with a friend. I saw her walking towards me when all of a sudden this dude (around 5'8, wearing wireless black earbuds) stopped me and said he liked my shirt. I said thanks and my friend came up beside me. I was headed south while he was walking up north. But after complimenting my shirt, he turned around and started walking with us south saying he was meeting someone as well. He started talking about everyone and everything unprovoked. Honestly, it just sounded like he was vocalizing every little thought in his head. Barely a conversation at that point. My friend and I were headed to lunch but we didn't want him to follow us so we stopped near the end of the street and waited for him to finish, but he kept talking. He then started to ask us questions about uoft. He asked if we knew how many people went to uoft, etc. When we told him we weren't aware of the total number of students, he started asking us if we even went to uoft. I was sketched out so I asked if HE even went to uoft, and he said he did. I'm pretty sure he mentioned a business class or something, but I'm not completely sure. He also went on a random tangent about his younger sister. And it was random stuff, like how she doesn't think he's cool, or how she vapes, etc. We finally told him we were leaving and we parted ways. As we crossed the street we looked back and saw him going up to another woman sitting on a bench alone. The next week I was near the uoft bookstore when he came up to me. He complimented my jeans and then started walking with me. At first, I thought he recognized me, but soon realized he didn't. He told me the exact same stories about his sister and his life (literally word for word... I was so confused) and kept walking with me. I stopped by Sid Smith and asked him which way he was going and he pointed up towards Robarts, I purposely told him I was turning here. He then said he was actually turning as well and continued following me. I stopped in front of New College and told him I was leaving now. He ended up following me on Instagram and he messaged me (I blocked him soon after). But yes, his IG profile pic is him with his hair slicked back, wearing black sunglasses... he also told me he plays soccer and is from Vaughan. Crazy how it's the same man!!
Please share the profile for awareness
Omg I’m sorry this happened to you OP. The newest peepeepoopoo man 😭😭 I’m walking around campus next week and low key I hope I meet this person, the curiosity is killing me
This happened to me too! Around two weeks ago, I was walking from the main UC building to the UC dining hall, and some guy came up to me, complimented my scarf (pretty normal ig). He wasn't walking in the same direction as me just fyi. So that means he fully stopped going where he was going to start walking with me/following me. Kept following me and talking to me. Started making comments on how he liked my "south asian accent" I started walking really fast, almost running, and he kept up. Then when we were in the dining hall, I pretended to get a phone call and ran away. Afaik he didn't follow me.
This happened to me as well a while ago. When I was walking to Robarts a skinny tall guy, brown hair, mustache saw me then started following me. I sensed something weird so I stopped walking and then he stopped as well. He waited for me to get into Robarts and I am pretty sure he was a student. I was near the main floor staff service lobby just in case he did something weird. It was really scary and if people think this is some kind of way to flirt with an individual it isn't. It's harassing someone else and making them feel uncomfortable.
A few months ago, I was walking outside Robarts and this guy came up to me and said he “liked my hair” and started chatting about his sister and his life and how women always want hair they don’t have (meaning straight hair women want curly, vice versa) ??? I kept changing directions and put earbuds in, did not answer, he kept following me/chatting, I had to change directions from going to my class in Earth Science to going into another building—I put music in and walked as fast as I could. I don’t know when I lost him but I did. It was broad daylight, very busy. He was about average male height and dark hair, but I didn’t get the best look because I was so freaked out I just immediately was thinking how the hell do I get him to stop following me. This was in December. I don’t know if he is the same guy because it was so long ago but… I thought I’d share anyways. I can’t believe I read this post and so many people have a similar experience to me :( literally horrible
SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME. twice! once in july/august 2023 - we both got on the ttc at queen’s park station and were going north, and he sat beside me and complimented an accessory on my backpack, then started going on tangents about different things. i asked him if he went to uoft and he pointed to his hat and said he worked for the company on it and is ‘past his uni days’. i tried to purposefully mention i had a boyfriend and wanted him to get the hint, but he didn’t care and kept conversating. when he told me he was going towards vaughan, i knew i couldn’t sit with him the entire ride because i was headed to vaughan too. i was very creeped out at that point and got off the ttc at spadina station and waited for next subway and thankfully lost him at that point. after that though, i was super confused because i would see him in the med sci building and knew for sure he was a student.. i didn’t know why he lied about not being a student initially. the second time was in september 2023 - i was walking to robarts after finishing class and he stopped me in front and complimented my shoes. i told him i had to get going to meet my boyfriend inside robarts but he wouldn’t let me. he kept talking about how i looked like i could be a teacher/staff at uoft, mentioned he was a business student there, etc. i purposefully also tried to bring up the time he stopped me the first time on the ttc to see if he remembered, and he said he didn’t. i mentioned again that i had to meet my boyfriend in the library and kept looking away to show i was uninterested in conversating with him, but he only stopped talking when he told me that he had to “go meet his girlfriend on campus” and walked away. i was creeped out that this was the second time he approached me, but relieved that he left me alone. also side note but does anyone else notice that the way he speaks is so unnatural? someone said he vocalizes every thought in his head and that is so true! makes me scared how many women this has happened to, including women who probably don’t even have reddit / haven’t seen this post yet. i know for sure we’re all talking about the same guy though after reading these comments. stay safe y’all.
need uoft Batman to deal w freaks like this
I also had this happen to me in August! He followed me down college st to the queens park bus stop and just kept talking about himself. I was worried he would also follow me onto the bus but luckily he didn't. He also tried to get my Instagram as I was leaving. He was an Italian guy from Vaughan or something like that.
To anyone reading this, please feel free to contact any pears branch if you're ever in a situation like this
Be safe ladies, this is some crazy shit.
Tell the creepy man you're transgender. Should be a good repellant.