A couple claims they were almost kidnapped after an Airbnb experience went awry.
According to TikTok user Tanyka Harold (@tee_ba3), she and her partner, Adani Harold, rented an Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When they arrived, they discovered that it was actually in Plantation, Florida, which is to the west of Fort Lauderdale.
However, that would be the least of their problems. According to the couple, after entering with the provided code, they went into their room. Upon closing the door behind them, they found they were locked in.
“I noticed that the door knob was turn ‘inside out’, meaning someone put it in backwards,” Harold wrote in a message to Airbnb. “The lock should’ve been inside the room not outside where someone else can lock it and lock us inside.”
This meant that, until the host found a way to let them out, they were trapped in the room.
What Happened Next?
After texting the host and not receiving a response, the TikTokers decided to call them.
“When speaking with them (lady and guy), they were saying it was impossible to happen, no one has been to the house, they left only an hour ago, they were in Miami, asked if we had a key or if we could use a butter knife to get out,” Harold wrote in a message to Airbnb.
“We heard them arguing about whether the door had a lock on it or not,” the message continued. “The guy was telling her to shut the f— up cause he couldn’t think while she was talking. She wasn’t really acting surprised.”
This interaction reminded the couple of other red flags they saw on the property. According to the couple, there were three eviction notices on the door. Not only that, but other details about the property seemed off. The room, which the couple said appeared painted in the photo, was actually concrete. Furthermore, the couple says that the “windows are blacked out, like the pictures in the Epstein files and everything.”
The Couple Finally Escapes
Eventually, the police and someone else arrived to open the door. The door managed to be opened successfully, allowing the couple to leave.
Later, the couple reported the incident to Airbnb. While they were able to secure a refund, they say that further steps should be taken against this house.
“Me and my husband almost got kidnapped in Plantation, Florida,” one of the couple’s videos on the topic starts. In that same video, they say, “They didn’t investigate that house… ’cause it’s really like a kidnapping situation. ‘Cause why is it locked from the outside, bro? It’s really like some Jeffrey Epstein stuff.”
The couple later managed to find a hotel.
What Happened Here?
BroBible reached out to Airbnb via email for more information regarding this specific property and the couple’s experience.
There are a few details of note. While the couple says that the property had three eviction notices on the door, a closer look at the notices in a video the couple posted shows that they are not, in fact, eviction notices.
The first notice seems to be a message to the local Sheriff’s department that any “writ of possession,” which is a legal document issued by a court after a landlord wins an eviction lawsuit, is invalid. This itself is not an eviction notice, but it could be a sign that eviction proceedings have occurred.
On this document, several court cases are cited as evidence that a writ of possession cannot be served. However, the cited cases do not necessarily mean that the owner of the house cannot be served with a writ of possession.
Similarly, the second document says that one cannot enter the property without permission. While this is generally true, it does not apply if police are enforcing a valid court order.
The language across these documents appears similar to “sovereign citizen” arguments. This is when someone believes they exist outside normal U.S. legal jurisdiction and outside the authority of the federal government. Sovereign citizen arguments are largely based on legal misunderstanding and rarely hold up in court.
The TikTokers Have Thoughts
It’s unclear whether what happened to the TikTokers was accidental or intentional. Regardless, Airbnb apparently found their discomfort with the situation understandable, as they were issued a full refund.
Still, the TikTokers appear to believe that there is more going on than meets the eye.
In one video, one of the TikTokers recalls telling the story of what happened to a police officer on the scene.
“I explained to him the entire situation…and he looked at me and said, ‘Well, uh, uh, maybe the door had a weird design,’” Adani remembers.
“What do you mean it was a weird design?” Tanyka chimes in. “That don’t make any sense.”
In messages to Airbnb, the couple reiterates that the rental should be investigated and potentially shut down.
Commenters Are Freaked Out
In the comments section, many users agreed with the TikTokers that something was amiss with this rental.
“Please obtain a lawyer as soon as possible!” exclaimed a user.
“Get the police report and file the dispute with your bank. Threaten to sue emotional stress,” added another.
“Report to air bnb, the police dept, dispute the pmt w the bank! So glad you guys are safe,” echoed a third.
@tee_ba3 @airbnb @R+R! #epstein #traffickingawarenes #florida #palmbeach #plantation
BroBible reached out to Airbnb via email and the Harolds via Instagram direct message.