Hold up, fam! Imagine ordering a self-driving Waymo for your child, only to find a whole stranger chilling in the trunk. That’s exactly what went down for a Los Angeles mother recently. The wild moment, captured and uploaded to TikTok by the woman known as @luckythurman, quickly went viral, leaving millions of viewers stunned and raising some serious questions.
As reported by the New York Post, the autonomous Waymo vehicle pulled up in their L.A. neighborhood. Just as her daughter was about to hop in, the quick-thinking mother, @luckythurman, heard some unexpected sounds from the trunk. What she uncovered was a disoriented man, completely out of sorts, unable to explain his bizarre presence.
“They Put Me In Here”
The TikTok video itself is wild. The mother repeatedly asks the confused man how he got there. He mumbled, “The vehicle wouldn’t let me out,” and then, more chillingly, “They put me in here.” When pressed, he vaguely referred to “The… the people.” Another clip shows police on the scene, removing the man while the mom is on the phone with a Waymo rep.
Folks online were understandably floored by this whole ordeal. A Waymo representative apologized to the mother, offering a ride credit for her trouble. The company released a statement, stressing their commitment to rider safety and earning community trust. But after an incident like this, trust definitely takes a hit.
Social media users were quick to voice their concerns, demanding stricter measures for these autonomous vehicles. One user even suggested, “We are in complete control of our Waymo rides and who’s in them. Some people have been picking up random people they know in the cars bc you have access to pick up and drop off. Always check, and ride as if you own the ride.” It’s a good point, but raises even more questions about security.
Waymo currently rolls through major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, constantly expanding its fleet. But this incident has everyone thinking twice about what ‘autonomous’ truly means for rider safety and security.
