BOISE, Idaho — Samantha MacIntyre took off down a familiar rural road all smiles. She's been training for a half-marathon, and has been documenting her fitness journey on TikTok.
But 5 miles in, a red car with a driver who was acting suspicious drove past her twice. MacIntyre began to feel uneasy.
"It was super weird, the top half of his body was out the window, looking back multiple times making eye contact with me," MacIntyre said. "I was like, that's not normal behavior. Cars pass me all the time, they've never done that before."
The car parked under a tree ahead of MacIntyre on the route. She says it was an unusual spot to pull over at.
MacIntyre said she has never felt uncomfortable on that path before.
She decided to trust her gut instinct and stop her run to get help. She called her mom first so she could be picked up. She then alerted the police.
Police were also able to locate the driver of the car 45 minutes later, he does not have a criminal record.
"I'd rather be safe than sorry, even if he was harmless and it's a misunderstanding," MacIntyre said. "I'd rather call the police and just make note of it, because if I hadn't and something bad happened, I wouldn't be here right now."
She ran across the street to a house that she is used to passing by during her runs. A man was outside weedwacking in the yard. MacIntyre asked the man if she could wait in his yard and wait for her parents to come.
The police showed up and MacIntyre gave a description of the man. They also gave her tips on staying safe.
MacIntyre posted the video on her TikTok, where she's been documenting her runs, in case it could help someone else in a similar situation.
The video has received over 7 million views in four days. MacIntyre is thankful for the overwhelming support.
"For the most part everyone has been super supportive and very nice about the whole situation," MacIntyre said. "Thanking me about kind of bringing light to this situation. Which makes me feel better, because it makes me feel a little less like I was overreacting and that other people have been in the same position as me and know how I was feeling."
MacIntyre has advice for anyone who might feel uncomfortable in a situation like hers: trust your gut.
"Just not being afraid to call someone if something doesn't feel right," MacIntyre said. "Even if you are uncomfortable and it's nothing, just making sure you feel safe and making note of if you need to call someone to make you feel more safe."
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