If you own a house, chances are high that you’ve at least considered getting a home security system.
Over the past few years, the home security market has exploded. Just a decade ago, it was fairly uncommon to have a security camera installed on your house. Now, almost 40% of Americans say they have a doorbell camera.
Usually, the events captured by these video doorbells are pretty innocuous. Scroll through the average American’s Ring camera history, and you’re likely to find mostly boring footage of Amazon deliveries.
Sometimes, however, these video doorbells capture something remarkable. Ring cameras have caught everything from tornadoes carrying houses away to bears attempting to steal a snack.
Now, a user on TikTok has shared their own mysterious camera footage. What’s going on here—and who’s that guy?
What Happened In This Security Camera Footage?
In a video with over 10 million views, TikTok user @neighborhoodwatchfeed shows a black-and-white feed from a video camera.
“Homeowner said the pool light kept turning on by itself around 2 AM,” the TikToker writes in the video’s caption. “They didn’t notice anything until reviewing the footage later.”
At first glance, the footage looks totally normal. There’s an elevated pool surrounded by a fence, with a short staircase leading up to it. After a few seconds, a light clicks on, and the pool’s moving water can be seen. The light then clicks off.
If one looks closely toward the background, something else comes into view: a human-like figure. Over the course of the video, the figure moves slightly.
The TikToker later posted a follow-up video showing the pool in question during the daytime. The scene during the day appears largely normal.
What Should You Do If You See Something Suspicious On Your Security Camera?
Generally speaking, seeing something spooky on your security camera isn’t reason enough to call emergency services.
That said, if you were unsettled by something you saw on your security camera, you can always reach out to your local police office’s non-emergency line. From there, an officer will be able to guide you about the next steps you should take to ensure your own safety.
During this time, it may be helpful to note any specifics you can about the situation. This can include saving the video, noting the time and date, and marking down any other exact details that you can.
That said, one should not confront any suspicious individual. Doing so may put your safety at risk. Instead, it’s advisable to simply inform the authorities and follow their directions about next steps.
Is This Video Real?
While other videos on the page have watermarks showing that an AI-powered software was used during their creation, this video does not appear to be AI-generated.
That said, there are reasons to be suspicious of the TikToker’s story.
To start, it appears that the page has been attempting to make several “creepy” TikToks go viral. This includes obviously fake videos that purport to be real while also bearing AI-generation watermarks.
Additionally, the story the TikToker tells is very inconsistent. His page bills itself as “Local Ring Neighbors submissions,” and the video itself refers to a “homeowner” who is implied to not be the poster of the video. But, in other videos, the poster refers to himself as the owner of the pool.
In these latter videos, he claims he’s being tormented by the figure in the original video and that the police won’t take his calls for help seriously. He further alleges that someone is leaving strange piles of rocks and stick figures on his property. These videos have failed to achieve similar virality.
In short, it appears to be simply part of a storytelling exercise—or an attempt to maintain relevance after a successful video.
Commenters Are Fearful
Commenters under the video bought into the idea that it was real.
“Why do I always see this stuff at night right before bed?!” a user asked.
“But WHO is IN THE POOL????” another questioned.
“It’s giving paranormal activity and im scared all over again and sleeping with the lights on,” a third declared.
@neighborhoodwatchfeed Homeowner said the pool light kept turning on by itself around 2 AM. They didn’t notice anything until reviewing the footage later. #ringcamera #securitycamera #cctv #foundfootage #neighborhoodwatch
BroBible reached out to @neighborhoodwatchfeed via TikTok direct message and comment.