AITA for denying an older woman shelter from a storm?

A Redditor shares a tense encounter while hiking in Australia when she was approached by a middle-aged woman who seemed desperate for shelter from an impending storm. Despite the woman’s insistence that she needed a ride home, the Redditor felt uneasy about the situation and ultimately decided to deny her a lift. After a standoff, she drove away and called for help, leaving her shaken by the encounter. Now, she’s questioning whether she acted unkindly by refusing to assist a stranger in distress.

‘ AITA for denying an older woman shelter from a storm?’

I (23F) am an avid hiker in Australia. Last week I encountered a middle aged woman, around 50 years old as I was coming off a trail. She was walking in my direction as I came out of the bush. It was strange to see her, the sun was almost down and the weather was starting to turn.

also, this was an intermediate collection of trails at best, difficult even for me at worst. and she didn’t look super athletic. Point is, my ‘weird’ radar was going off already.
She walked up to me and stopped, standing too close for my comfort, gestured toward the clearing where my car was parked, and asked whether it was my car.

No greeting or anything. When I looked over something made me uncomfortable- there were no cars other than mine in sight. The trail I was on isn’t crazy far from civilization but it’s not a walk away- one of those highway rest stops that’s there for the trail and a few parking spots. no way she could have got there without driving.

I let her know that, yes, it was my car, to which she responded something like “Perfect, there’s a storm coming, I can’t be caught in it and I need to get home”. She was very matter of fact. It seemed like she had already decided what would happen. without waiting for my response, she started striding for my car.

I am glad I always lock my doors because she would have hopped right in the passenger seat had the door opened. As she was walking over to it, I went after her trying to explain that I wasn’t sure it was a good idea for her to hitch a ride- asking why she was out here in the first place.

I was talking to a brick wall until she realised the car was locked, at which point she turned around with this look of anger and frustration on her face. She starts ranting- the same stuff as before “I NEED to get home” “A STORM is coming” “I CANNOT be caught in it” “Why don’t you get it?!”.

I was very confused at this point, and a little scared, as this woman was now a barrier between me and my vehicle. I told her something like ‘I’m sorry but I don’t feel comfortable with having a stranger in my car’. She stared me down for a few seconds, I guess trying to gauge her chances at asking again.

And just like that, the anger drops from her face and she’s silent. I was really uncomfortable. I asked if I could call someone, if there was another way to help. she starts walking- towards me (scary), but then right past me. I’m still asking her questions, then just saying things like “hello” and “excuse me”. no response.

She walked to the other end of the rest stop and maintained eye contact with me as she sat down on a log, then just stared at nothing. I didn’t follow her. I got into my car really shaken up and drove away. As soon as I was back in cell range I called fire and rescue, they said they would send someone out. I was scared for my safety in the moment, but she was just some woman alone in the middle of nowhere. Am I the a**hole for refusing this strange woman a ride/shelter in my car?

Heres the input from the Reddit crowd:

No_Yogurtcloset_1020 −  NTA. I think calling fire and rescue was a kind thing to do.

PracticalPrimrose −  NTA.. The gift of fear is a real thing.

YouthNAsia63 −  NTA you called for assistance for her as soon as you were able. Good 🙂 *Was* there a storm coming? It would be an indicator if the woman was more-or less stable, mentally. I can tell her attitude rattled you. You don’t owe some random demanding woman a ride. Ever… But… *was* a storm coming?

asiangontear −  NTA of course. In my country, women are sometimes the “bait” for traps like this; someone could have been hiding and waiting for you to open your car so they can steal it. Also you called services to pick her up. I think you went above and beyond.

fuzzy_mic −  NTA – If you had driven off without calling fire rescue you would have been, but you did what you could to keep both of you safe.

Daughter_of_Dusk −  That was weird. Why didn’t she just ask properly? NTA, I wouldn’t have taken her either. And it’s not like you left her there to die, you called the authorities so that they could go and take her home

RedHair_WhiteWine −  NTA. You did the right thing! What a scary situation. And calling fire and rescue was a much better option than having this woman in your car.

bibby_tarantula −  Sure, she might have been innocent and normal, but given how she acted, she also might not have been! Sounds like you made a reasonable judgement based on those odds, and beyond that, you called for help for her afterwards. Good on you. NTA.

Comfortable-Dig-684 −  WTF! This has serial k**ler vibes written all over it.. NTA

mcfiddlestien −  A lot of cultures have stories about “a spirit of the road” they go by different names in different places. 1 thing that is common in a lot of them is the spirit will ask for a ride and this is where the stories split in some if you help the spirit you get rewarded (normally grants a wish or something like that) but in others helping the spirit will result in being dragged to the afterlife.

Now whether you believe in that stuff or not is besides the point your story had enough similarities that even a sceptic might hesitate a little bit. NTA for all you know that was an evil spirit and could have sucked out your soul….. Or it could have really just been an old lady that got stranded somehow and needed a lift either way I still say NTA you’re not obligated to give a ride to anyone for any reason

Was the Redditor right to prioritize her safety over the woman’s apparent need for help, or should she have offered her assistance despite her discomfort? How should we navigate similar situations when our instincts raise red flags? Share your thoughts below!