A lot of spooky things can happen when you’re driving at night.
Over the years, many internet users have shared stories of creepy experiences they’ve had while cruising around after dark. For example, one man was driving at night when his truck was damaged by something he claimed was “not human.” Another woman said that she believes she may have time traveled while driving through a rural area.
Now, a user is sharing a story he claims occurred on Highway 54 in Wisconsin. What was this creature by the side of the road?
What Happened On This Nighttime Drive?
In a video with over 3.5 million views, TikTok user @shanman9390 retells a story he says he received from a viewer. According to the viewer, his family experienced something strange several months ago on a drive on Highway 54 in Wisconsin near Black River Falls. The viewer says it was just before midnight, and that there were “no street lights, just trees and fog.”
“Their daughter said, ‘There’s someone walking up ahead on the shoulder. Tall, pale, moving slow,’” the TikToker says.
The dad, who was driving the car, slowed down. Upon closer examination, there was a creature on the side of the road.
“It didn’t look drunk. It didn’t look lost. It looked kind of, sort of unfinished,” the TikToker says.
A Shocking Twist
Suddenly, the creature’s “upper body twisted toward them. Not the legs, but just the torso—like it rotated without turning.”
“The headlights hit his face. No eyes. Smooth skin stretched tight with two dark dents where the eyes should be,” the TikToker states.
Afraid, the family sped off. In response, the creature fell to all fours and ran into the woods “too fast to be human.” The family later claimed that something tapped on the window while they were driving.
“The next morning, a post appeared in a local group. ‘Did anyone see something pale walking on 54 last night?’” the TikToker shares. “One comment said, ‘Don’t slow down next time.’”
The TikToker then shows a picture that he claims was taken by the family’s daughter from the backseat of the car.
“You tell me what the h— this thing is,” the TikToker says.
Is This Real?
What the thing likely “is” is AI-generated.
The image shared of the creature is actually taken from another clip, viewable here. Watching this clip, there is something not quite right about several details. For example, the lanes on the road appear to be too narrow. Next, the camera makes a full pan around the car. If one looks closely at the end of the video, a rearview mirror can be seen.
If this video was unedited, this would mean that the people in the car were driving toward the creature in reverse—and that the driver slowed the car down after seeing it, even after they were told to “go, go, go.”
It’s possible that parts of the video are legitimate and that the audio has been added later. Still, given the existence of this latter video, it’s fairly certain that the story told by the TikToker isn’t real—or, at the very least, that the image shown is not a legitimate photo of what the viewer claimed to have experienced.
In a TikTok DM exchange, the poster of the original video (linked in text) confirmed to BroBible the clip was AI-generated.
Commenters Have Stories
In the comments section, users shared their own creepy stories from nighttime drives.
“73 yr old recently retired truck driver here…. you see aLOT of REALLY weird s— on the hwy at night….. even some things will show in the day time… not often… but you do,” wrote a commenter. “if I tell you I saw an actual zombie one night out i10 West in New Mexico one night would u think I’m lying? I’m not I will swear to you on my Greatgrandlings I did… I drove 300 miles w/o stopping to get away.”
“I drive 54 all the time, I have too many things I can’t explain especially between midnight and 3 a.m.,” offered another.
“My uncle tells a story similar to this and has my whole life. But he claimed he was in ministry school and him and his wife were driving through Iowa one night middle of the night and saw a VW bug in the middle of a field. No tire tracks. This was the 70s and they went to see if they needed help. They said people turned to them and had no faces. Cloaks with hoods and smooth surface where face should be,” shared a third. “He still sticks to this and every detail remains the same to this day. Never been so scared of a story in my life. He said they turned and ran and never looked back. Terrifying, but these were human like-no face.”
BroBible reached out to @shanman9390 via TikTok direct message and comment.