Often, when you walk into a public space with surveillance cameras, signs warn you that you’re being recorded. You might assume that people behave themselves knowing this, but reality often tells a different story.
We’ve gathered stories from people who work in surveillance, answering questions like: “What’s the most unexplained or creepy thing you’ve seen on video?” From injured strangers to unexpected animal visitors, the footage can be bizarre, eerie, and downright unsettling. Keep reading, and next time you spot a camera, you might think twice.
#1
LPO here. I see crazy stuff all the time. One of the creepiest things I have seen was a string of toys moving on its own down an aisle. It was like a duck with smaller ducks. Of course, I had to investigate. When I zoomed in, I was surprised to see that they were real ducks.
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41points
#2
Had a game camera out once and I had a neighbor who would just walk through my property (I didn't care, the place is pretty and there's no back fence) But I kept having sheep go missing so I set out a camera.
The camera caught my neighbor walking by, then like 30 seconds later a mountain lion walked by it stalking him. It apparently never attacked as he was fine, but he had no idea how close he was to that thing.
The camera caught my neighbor walking by, then like 30 seconds later a mountain lion walked by it stalking him. It apparently never attacked as he was fine, but he had no idea how close he was to that thing.
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32points
#3
I used to have an apartment pretty close to my office. The office building was kind of in a business district, but it was also kind of off on its own relative to the city's commercial district "footprint".
I sold the apartment and before moving into my new home, I left my bicycle chained to the building's bike rack. It was only going to be there for a few days in that no man's land before I was able to move into the new place.
Anyway, one day in the middle of the week, I come into the office, walk past the bike rack and notice that it's completely empty. The building has a bunch of security cameras and one more or less is facing the bike rack since it's adjacent to the front entryway. I sit and watch the security tape with the IT guy. We're watching, see everyone leave the office the night before, see the bike, keep watching, then all of a sudden poof, bike gone. We slowed the tape down and it seemed like when you're watching digital cable or satellite and the image gets garbled. Literally it was bike there, then poof gone. In the tape's time stamp it literally happened in one second. I assume my bike got taken to the upside down.
I sold the apartment and before moving into my new home, I left my bicycle chained to the building's bike rack. It was only going to be there for a few days in that no man's land before I was able to move into the new place.
Anyway, one day in the middle of the week, I come into the office, walk past the bike rack and notice that it's completely empty. The building has a bunch of security cameras and one more or less is facing the bike rack since it's adjacent to the front entryway. I sit and watch the security tape with the IT guy. We're watching, see everyone leave the office the night before, see the bike, keep watching, then all of a sudden poof, bike gone. We slowed the tape down and it seemed like when you're watching digital cable or satellite and the image gets garbled. Literally it was bike there, then poof gone. In the tape's time stamp it literally happened in one second. I assume my bike got taken to the upside down.
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26points
Over the last few decades, the presence of surveillance cameras has grown dramatically worldwide. Cities, towns, and even small communities are increasingly relying on cameras to monitor public spaces, ensure safety, and deter crime. The expansion of camera networks has been driven not only by technological advancements but also by growing concerns about public safety.
#4
Didn't have a job in security, but when I worked at Sears in high school there was a theft in my department and the LP team pulled us into their surveillance room to interview us.
While they were asking me questions, I kept being distracted by all the monitors. Right above the guy asking me questions, I saw a small tv that had 16 smaller screens and realized the cameras were in the dressing rooms.
I didn't see anyone in there at the time and the guy interviewing me saw me looking. He turned to the console and turned that monitor off real quick. Super creepy if you ask me.
TL;DR Sears has cameras in their dressing rooms.
While they were asking me questions, I kept being distracted by all the monitors. Right above the guy asking me questions, I saw a small tv that had 16 smaller screens and realized the cameras were in the dressing rooms.
I didn't see anyone in there at the time and the guy interviewing me saw me looking. He turned to the console and turned that monitor off real quick. Super creepy if you ask me.
TL;DR Sears has cameras in their dressing rooms.
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24points
#5
I edited together the footage from the security cameras outside Pulse before, during and after the shooting. Though there were many sad and/or disturbing things to be seen, the strange one was a wounded man that appeared out of nowhere.
He waved his hands for help and he cops came over and carried him to safety. I tried numerous times to rewind to find out where he came from, but he was just there or he wasn't. He didn't crawl to where he had gotten, he just appeared.
He looked like he made it out okay.
He waved his hands for help and he cops came over and carried him to safety. I tried numerous times to rewind to find out where he came from, but he was just there or he wasn't. He didn't crawl to where he had gotten, he just appeared.
He looked like he made it out okay.
anon, “A wounded man that appeared out of nowhere. He waved his hands for help. I tried numerous times to rewind to find out where he came from, but he was just there or he wasn't. He just appeared”
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#6
I don't work in surveillance, but have a home security system.
I left for work one morning, walked out my back door, got in my car, and pulled out of my driveway.
The moment I left the driveway, a homeless would-be burglar, came out from hiding on the side of my house and tried to open my back door. When he found it locked, he reluctantly wandered off after looking around a bit.
Never would have known if it wasn't for cameras.
Makes you wonder what goes on without your knowledge.
I left for work one morning, walked out my back door, got in my car, and pulled out of my driveway.
The moment I left the driveway, a homeless would-be burglar, came out from hiding on the side of my house and tried to open my back door. When he found it locked, he reluctantly wandered off after looking around a bit.
Never would have known if it wasn't for cameras.
Makes you wonder what goes on without your knowledge.
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22points
In crime prevention, they serve as silent detectives, helping law enforcement trace movements, identify suspects, and gather evidence that can make or break a case. Even when no crime occurs, cameras document events, clarify misunderstandings, and offer peace of mind.
Beyond criminal oversight, they guide traffic officers through accidents, illegal parking, and congested streets, while emergency responders use live footage to assess situations before arriving. Shops, banks, and hospitals rely on them to prevent theft, monitor staff, and keep patrons safe. Homeowners, too, now use cameras to check on pets, deliveries, and potential intruders. Over the years, surveillance has grown from a novelty to a near-ubiquitous part of everyday life.
#7
Obligatory not a surveillance worker, but I used to manage a retail swimming pool store and we had a nice koi pond in the side yard. I chiefly cared for it, feeding the fish and cleaning out the leaves/filter, etc so I named all the fish and grew to care about them. Then one day I was walking through the side yard to get to the back office when I noticed there were no fish in the pond. It's not a big pond, maybe a foot or two at its deepest and 7' long. It's not like they were all hiding! I at first thought someone hopped the fence at night and stole the fish - koi are expensive after all. So I reviewed the security footage from the night before to try and catch the cretin who did this. And at 6am I caught him.
A giant heron with a 6' wingspan came down and helped himself to some lox for breakfast. Man I felt sad. Luckily one of the fish survived, he later came out of some hiding hole in the wall. He was named Subway because he was about a foot long. We bought more fish to keep him company and I made a rock cove covering over half the pond so they could flee in case the dam heron came back.
A giant heron with a 6' wingspan came down and helped himself to some lox for breakfast. Man I felt sad. Luckily one of the fish survived, he later came out of some hiding hole in the wall. He was named Subway because he was about a foot long. We bought more fish to keep him company and I made a rock cove covering over half the pond so they could flee in case the dam heron came back.
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21points
#8
I used to work security at a college dorm and I once witnessed one of the doors on a washing machine slowly open itself and proceed to tear itself clean off of the machine. Told my boss this 'creepy story' and showed him the video and he made me review camera footage for the rest of the night to find out who broke the machine despite the fact that he watched it break itself.
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20points
#9
Game cameras set up to watch our trap line caught a man in a purple hoodie stopping in the middle of the trail, standing there for several minutes, then continuing on the trail to the next camera while being followed by three large raccoons. Five cameras, same thing at each one. Man, raccoons.
No idea who the guy was, or why he apparently walked his raccoons on private property in the dark.
No idea who the guy was, or why he apparently walked his raccoons on private property in the dark.
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20points
In the United States, the presence of surveillance cameras is staggering. Estimates suggest around 70 million cameras cover public streets, offices, shops, and homes. Large cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago feature dense networks, while smaller towns steadily adopt similar systems. Authorities use these cameras to prevent crime, monitor traffic, and respond to emergencies, while retail chains rely on them to deter theft and manage incidents. Homeowners increasingly use connected systems to watch over children, pets, and deliveries.
#10
Work as a doctor in a hospital in the UK, was on a night shift that was particularly quiet and some of the nurses were sitting around telling this story:
A young doctor was running to a crash call. Our hospital is a giant L shape, with the front entrance being at the bend. A woman stopped him and asked him which way the exit was. He directed her and kept running. When he got to the patient, it was the woman who asked him for directions. She died.
Apparently it got caught on the CCTV -- that that doctor stopped mid-running down the hallway, and gestured toward the exit while saying something to no one in particular.
A young doctor was running to a crash call. Our hospital is a giant L shape, with the front entrance being at the bend. A woman stopped him and asked him which way the exit was. He directed her and kept running. When he got to the patient, it was the woman who asked him for directions. She died.
Apparently it got caught on the CCTV -- that that doctor stopped mid-running down the hallway, and gestured toward the exit while saying something to no one in particular.
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19points
#11
I worked in a maximum security prison for awhile. I was assigned to central control one night, which is where the camera screens were.
One of the cameras was for the classifications room. I glanced at it and there was an inmate in there. This was super odd because it was two in the morning and nobody was supposed to be in there. Everyone that had keys to that room went home at 5.
Anyways, so this inmate is just sitting in there doing nothing. I got the sergeant's attention and told him someone was in there, and gave him the spare key to the room. He went to go check it out with a couple of other people, but by the time they got there, the room was empty. They searched for like 15 minutes but there was definitely no one in there.
One of the cameras was for the classifications room. I glanced at it and there was an inmate in there. This was super odd because it was two in the morning and nobody was supposed to be in there. Everyone that had keys to that room went home at 5.
Anyways, so this inmate is just sitting in there doing nothing. I got the sergeant's attention and told him someone was in there, and gave him the spare key to the room. He went to go check it out with a couple of other people, but by the time they got there, the room was empty. They searched for like 15 minutes but there was definitely no one in there.
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15points
#12
We have security cameras at my house. One night around 12am-1am, heard this loud crash. Go to look out front and our car is smashed in. Apparently what had happened was our neighbors girlfriend was celebrating her 23rd at her friends. Afterwards, she decided she was gonna drive across town to stay at her boyfriends. Two houses away, she slammed head on into the only car on the street. The cameras caught the car being pushed backwards and you can see her drive off, then drive past and then the third time, she stopped. 23 years old and was arrested for her third DUI.
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15points
Across the United Kingdom, surveillance is a defining feature of urban life. Around six million cameras operate nationwide, spanning public streets, private businesses, and government facilities. In cities like London, Birmingham, and Manchester, cameras cover nearly every corner, keeping a constant watch over bustling streets and public squares. UK surveillance often intersects with legal frameworks designed to balance safety and privacy. These systems reflect a culture that prioritizes crime prevention while attempting to maintain individual rights, showing how technology can weave itself into daily life.
#13
Not surveillance but a home security footage.
I had been living with my godparents at the time. It was around 6 PM and my godfather gets back from work and asks why there is blood near the pool in the backyard. I had been in the room right next to the pool the whole time so I had no idea what he was talking about.
We pull up the security footage and it shows a man jumping the fence in broad daylight, cutting himself with the barbed wire, and looking for ways to get into the house through the back.
I was maybe 10 feet away from him at one point and did not hear a thing. Scary to think what could've happened if a window was open.
I had been living with my godparents at the time. It was around 6 PM and my godfather gets back from work and asks why there is blood near the pool in the backyard. I had been in the room right next to the pool the whole time so I had no idea what he was talking about.
We pull up the security footage and it shows a man jumping the fence in broad daylight, cutting himself with the barbed wire, and looking for ways to get into the house through the back.
I was maybe 10 feet away from him at one point and did not hear a thing. Scary to think what could've happened if a window was open.
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14points
#14
I used to work at a place which required to be manned 24 hours a day. Reason being is that I handled sensitive documents/files and if somebody needed this information in the middle of the night I would have to fetch it for them (or confirm that I have it).
Anyways, security is kind of tight. Bars on windows, multiple locked doors to get to where I am. They would give me work to do during the night, but underestimated how quickly I could get it done. So like most nights, i finished my work in like 30 to 45 minutes and pulled out my phone and played games / Netflix browse reddit (since nobody else is in the building at night).
So now it is getting to be the last third of my shift when all of the sudden I hear a door close. I look to the security camera and see someone walking down a hall towards my room. At first I thought it was just somebody that came in (ridiculously) early, so I turn around and wait for them to come in. But nobody came in, and the hairs start rising on my back. Now, this isn't a really big building so I figure I'll find the guy wherever he is and start checking offices and storage rooms but come up empty handed, however i do see that a fire door had shut. I go to try and rewind the camera, but the digital recording is password protected and i don't know the password. Anyways the whole thing freaked me out, the way the person was walking down the hallway, like a determined walk right to where I was.
So, I sit with my spine tingling for the last couple hours of my shift and finally people start coming in, my replacement shows up and I tell her what I saw and at this point I figured I must have imagined the whole thing. I'm told to go home and the manager and girl who replaced me would look over the camera. After getting home I call my manager and ask what was on the camera. So they said that the video showed the fire door closing but then the video froze for about an hour, the next thing it records is me reopening the door.
Anyways, security is kind of tight. Bars on windows, multiple locked doors to get to where I am. They would give me work to do during the night, but underestimated how quickly I could get it done. So like most nights, i finished my work in like 30 to 45 minutes and pulled out my phone and played games / Netflix browse reddit (since nobody else is in the building at night).
So now it is getting to be the last third of my shift when all of the sudden I hear a door close. I look to the security camera and see someone walking down a hall towards my room. At first I thought it was just somebody that came in (ridiculously) early, so I turn around and wait for them to come in. But nobody came in, and the hairs start rising on my back. Now, this isn't a really big building so I figure I'll find the guy wherever he is and start checking offices and storage rooms but come up empty handed, however i do see that a fire door had shut. I go to try and rewind the camera, but the digital recording is password protected and i don't know the password. Anyways the whole thing freaked me out, the way the person was walking down the hallway, like a determined walk right to where I was.
So, I sit with my spine tingling for the last couple hours of my shift and finally people start coming in, my replacement shows up and I tell her what I saw and at this point I figured I must have imagined the whole thing. I'm told to go home and the manager and girl who replaced me would look over the camera. After getting home I call my manager and ask what was on the camera. So they said that the video showed the fire door closing but then the video froze for about an hour, the next thing it records is me reopening the door.
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13points
#15
This happened a few years before I started working at my current job. The elevators in my building go down to the first and second basement. Late one night, one of our security guards spots a group of people heading into the elevator at Level 4. He thinks it's curious because nobody is supposed to be in the building after midnight, so he keeps a close watch on all the lobby cameras to see which floor the group alights at.
The doors open at Basement Two, but nobody comes out. The second guard scurries down to the elevator doors while the first guard keeps his eye on the cameras to make sure no one has left. When the second guard gets to the basement elevator, he looks puzzled and searches around. He comes back to the guard station to confirm that it's empty.
Putting the building on lockdown, the two guards spend the rest of the night combing the building together but they were unable to find anyone or anything. They decide to call the police, who review the footage and see the same thing. In the end, the sighting was still unexplained but my workplace decided to stop being cheap and install security cameras in the elevators too.
The doors open at Basement Two, but nobody comes out. The second guard scurries down to the elevator doors while the first guard keeps his eye on the cameras to make sure no one has left. When the second guard gets to the basement elevator, he looks puzzled and searches around. He comes back to the guard station to confirm that it's empty.
Putting the building on lockdown, the two guards spend the rest of the night combing the building together but they were unable to find anyone or anything. They decide to call the police, who review the footage and see the same thing. In the end, the sighting was still unexplained but my workplace decided to stop being cheap and install security cameras in the elevators too.
13points
Germany approaches surveillance with precision and care. Roughly five million cameras are installed nationwide, mainly in public spaces such as train stations, airports, and government buildings. German law ensures that these systems comply with strict privacy and data protection rules, striking a balance between security and civil liberties. Germans demonstrate that widespread surveillance can coexist with respect for privacy, reflecting a system where efficiency and accountability are harmonized with legal safeguards.
#16
I have cameras on my front and back doors that send video to my phone when they detect movement. I was out of town and woke up to seeing several police officers walking around in my front and back yard. I called my neighbor to find out what had happened and found out that someone had crashed their car through my back fence, which borders the highway.
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12points
#17
I used to work overnights at a hotel, and would monitor the security cameras. They would detect motion and a little indicator would blink when motion was... well, detected. Anyway, it always gave me the creeps when I'd hear the elevator ding... I'd run out to the lobby to great the guest to make sure they didn't need something or whatever, and nobody would get off the elevator. I'd watch the tapes and see the motion indicator blinking on a floor, then see the elevator open on that floor, then see the elevator open on the ground floor and the motion indicator blink on the camera down the hall. Gave me the heeby jeebies.
Also one time I was in my office in the middle of the night and it sounded like someone banged on the door with the side of their fist. Just one single SLAM. You can see me reacting to it on the video--my head whipped to face the door where the sound came from, then immediately whipped around to stare at the camera to see who was outside my door. There was nobody there, and none of the motion sensors had picked up anything. Not fun finishing the rest of that shift.
Also one time I was in my office in the middle of the night and it sounded like someone banged on the door with the side of their fist. Just one single SLAM. You can see me reacting to it on the video--my head whipped to face the door where the sound came from, then immediately whipped around to stare at the camera to see who was outside my door. There was nobody there, and none of the motion sensors had picked up anything. Not fun finishing the rest of that shift.
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11points
#18
About a year ago, I had cameras installed around my house, initially to catch mail thieves. One morning after noticing my back gate ajar, I reviewed the footage from the night before. I watched as a would-be burglar at 3am pry open the gate and creep towards the living room. He suddenly stopped and started backing away when he noticed I was home and awake. (I was actually just a few feet away in the living room with the blackout curtains closed) He must have spotted light peeking out at the bottom of the curtains. The motion-activated lights kicked on as he simultaneously ran out the back gate and into the woods behind our yard. I was awake transitioning to a midshift - and ironically had a table full of guns as I disassembled them for cleaning after a day at the range. It's probably good that I didn't see him or hear him that night - we both would have freaked out.
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11points
France has embraced surveillance as both a preventive and responsive tool. Approximately three million cameras operate across the country, particularly in urban hubs like Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. The government uses them to prevent crime, manage crowds, and monitor transportation networks, with businesses supplementing public systems for additional security. Security became a sharper focus after past terrorist incidents, prompting strategic placement in high-traffic areas, transit hubs, and public venues. Citizens increasingly rely on these systems to feel safe while navigating public spaces.
#19
I used to work part time doing surveillance work for an art gallery. I went in horribly sick one day because I worked on a contract and had to meet a quota for so many hours, otherwise I'd have to make it up elsewhere (which was borderline impossible for me because I only had free time on weekends, when they were closed).
So, here I am with a fever and a trashcan, dripping sweat and staring at these screens when, all of a sudden, on the lower gallery, I see this black, oozing mass creeping across the floor. It just kinda slithered across the brick, up the wall, pooled into a perfect circle in the middle of the room. Then, it stood up into this weird, enlongated shadow person with spindly arms and no eyes, "looked" up at the camera, then very rapidly melted back into the floor and bolted toward the hallway that led to my desk.
I screamed. Then, I threw up.
Also, no, that thing wasn't really there. I was just way sicker than I thought; it was a fever hallucination. My boss came in and sent me home shortly after she came to see if I had died, and I actually still use that weird, gangly thing my brain came up with as a motif in some of my art. Haha.
So, here I am with a fever and a trashcan, dripping sweat and staring at these screens when, all of a sudden, on the lower gallery, I see this black, oozing mass creeping across the floor. It just kinda slithered across the brick, up the wall, pooled into a perfect circle in the middle of the room. Then, it stood up into this weird, enlongated shadow person with spindly arms and no eyes, "looked" up at the camera, then very rapidly melted back into the floor and bolted toward the hallway that led to my desk.
I screamed. Then, I threw up.
Also, no, that thing wasn't really there. I was just way sicker than I thought; it was a fever hallucination. My boss came in and sent me home shortly after she came to see if I had died, and I actually still use that weird, gangly thing my brain came up with as a motif in some of my art. Haha.
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11points
#20
I posted this not long ago for a similar question, but here it is again as it's the strangest thing i've come across in my place.
I work for a security company, we install and monitor CCTV on construction sites.
One night (about 2am) our response officer gets a call from the monitoring station to say there's a guy walking around one of the buildings under construction. They described him as tall, dressed in all black with his hood up, but couldn't see his face because he had his back to the camera.
He wasn't stealing or vandalising, just wandering around (usually homeless looking for shelter).
So the response goes to investigate. When he gets there there's nobody around, so he asks the station to check the camera covering the way in/out of the building to see which direction he went, but there's nothing. He does a full patrol of the site and there's no trace of anyone.
The only other way for this guy to get out was to shimmy down scaffolding and he could be hurt so the response officer asks the station to do a check on all of the camera footage through the night to see if there's any sign of him leaving. Nothing.
The next day we ask the station to send over the stills from when they initially picked the intruder up. He's not on any of them. Just footage of our response officer walking around.
We were pretty freaked out talking about it in the office and it was laughed off as the monitoring officer being sleepy and seeing things, except the cameras we use have IR beams and they only alert the monitoring station when someone breaks them.
I work for a security company, we install and monitor CCTV on construction sites.
One night (about 2am) our response officer gets a call from the monitoring station to say there's a guy walking around one of the buildings under construction. They described him as tall, dressed in all black with his hood up, but couldn't see his face because he had his back to the camera.
He wasn't stealing or vandalising, just wandering around (usually homeless looking for shelter).
So the response goes to investigate. When he gets there there's nobody around, so he asks the station to check the camera covering the way in/out of the building to see which direction he went, but there's nothing. He does a full patrol of the site and there's no trace of anyone.
The only other way for this guy to get out was to shimmy down scaffolding and he could be hurt so the response officer asks the station to do a check on all of the camera footage through the night to see if there's any sign of him leaving. Nothing.
The next day we ask the station to send over the stills from when they initially picked the intruder up. He's not on any of them. Just footage of our response officer walking around.
We were pretty freaked out talking about it in the office and it was laughed off as the monitoring officer being sleepy and seeing things, except the cameras we use have IR beams and they only alert the monitoring station when someone breaks them.
11points