Being home with your loved ones after a long workday can be the best feeling in the world, but getting home isn’t always so pleasant.

This is especially true for women who have to walk alone.

One New York City woman found this out all too well when she noticed a group of men following her.

First noticing the three men staring at her on the subway, she paid attention when they followed her off at her stop and continued down the street.

The woman decided to duck into a local store and wander around there for a few minutes before checking again to see if the coast was clear.

To her dismay, the men were still there.

The woman was desperate to get home safely to her 5-year-old son and knew she would have to start walking again sooner or later.

At first, she spotted a group of women but decided against asking them for help as she didn’t want to bring them in to a bad situation; next she spotted some men, but they were loudly swearing at each other and the woman didn’t think they’d be able to help.

Finally, she spotted a lone man smiling down at his phone and decided he was her best bet.

She walked straight up to Dane Weeks and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“Please act like you know me,” the scared woman begged, “those three guys have been following me for a while.”

Surprised at first by a stranger hugging him, Dane quickly realized what was happening and he played along pretending to know her.

As soon as the other men saw this they backed off and walked away.

Though those men were no longer a threat, Dane still walked the woman the remaining 3 blocks to her house and made sure she got inside safely.

Dane, who rarely walks down those streets at night, said “I guess I was meant to be there at that particular moment.”

Him and the woman exchanged phone numbers and he told her to call whenever she felt like she needed an escort home, and he said that she has called him a few times since the incident.

Dane also met the woman’s son who she was so desperate to get back to, as well as her mother; all three of them praised him for the help he offered and the kindness he showed her.

Though the city has a bad reputation, New York is no more dangerous than any other large metropolitan city.

Though there is never guarantee of the kinds of things you can come across when walking alone at night, here at a few tips that can help keep you safe:

Plan your route and make sure someone else knows your plans, avoid suspicious people and areas (even just crossing the street can help), remain attentive by not listening to music, and, most importantly, trust your gut.

You can follow Dane’s Facebook account linked here: Dane C. Weeks

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: My Positive Outlooks, Facebook, Urban Abroad, Safer Watch