Via @chandlertoddfishing TikTok
A North Carolina man showed his strange find in the woods. And netizens are convinced it's the 1976 Chowchilla bus.
A man has gone viral after his North Carolina boat ride led to an unsettling discovery. And some are speculating that it’s related to the Chowchilla bus kidnap of 1976.
Whether it’s real-life vampires or a literal monster, spooky tales and happenings have a history of going viral on TikTok. And this particular video, which has amassed 857,900 views, is no exception.
The video, which is paired with creepy music, begins with TikToker Chandler Todd (@chandlertoddfishing) asking viewers, “Y’all wanna see something scary?”
He then pans the camera around, showing that he’s on a boat in a lake surrounded by woodland. “Middle of the woods, out here in the middle of nowhere,” he affirms.
He then focuses the camera on what looks like a decrepit old-school bus that has definitely seen better days. “That’s a school bus,” he adds.
BroBible reached out to Todd via Instagram direct message.
‘Get Outta There’
Commenters were seriously spooked.
“Bet you if you go back it wont be there anymore,” one predicted. “GHOST BUS.”
“Dude have you not seen that one American Horror Story with the clown and the bus get out of there,” a second said.
“Where at in NC?” a third asked. “Want to make sure I stay away from those woods.”
And a fourth remarked, “That boat would have went in to overdriiivveee!”
A fifth begged, “Please get outta there before big Jeep pull up.”
What Is The 1976 Chowchilla Bus?
The Chowchilla bus, which was mentioned by several commenters, refers to a school bus that, in July 1976, was found mysteriously empty in a ditch in Chowchilla, California. When the bus was found by police offers, a total of 27 people were missing. This included Ed Ray, the school bus driver, and 26 children between the ages of 5 and 14.
As reported by CNN, the students and driver were kidnapped. According to the outlet, it was 3:54pm when three men masked by pantyhose cornered the bus on a fairly remote road and held them at gunpoint. The group was split up and taken inside two vans. They were then driven 11 hours away from the San Joaquin Valley. They were taken to an abandoned rock quarry.
From there, the victims were taken to an underground trailer, which was subsequently buried with dirt. CNN reports that it was dark, and there were just a few mattresses.
The purpose of the kidnap was, reportedly, to ransom the children for $5 million. Luckily, the driver and one of the boys were able to open the trailer roof and escape along with the others.
While the victims were relatively unharmed, the case has continued to garner fascination in the years since.
However, the bus in the TikTok likely isn’t the Chowchilla bus. Although it’s true that the victims were an 11-hour drive away, California and North Carolina, where the TikToker found the bus, are on completely different coasts.
@chandlertoddfishing Look what I found in the middle of the woods in North Carolina 😳 #fishtok #creepy #haunted #ghost #scary
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound