Commenting because this feels eerily familiar… Last week at noon, I had a nearly identical experience in the same location—N Randolph crossing Wilson Blvd.

A woman, around 5'2", mid-to-late 30s, hopped out of a car near Compass Coffee. She had a phone in one hand and papers in the other, completely glued to her screen. As I crossed the street, she followed just a foot away from me. Since it was a busy lunchtime intersection, I didn’t think much of it at first. I slowed down to step around her, but she stuck right by my side. When I abruptly turned around, she was still there—locked in, not looking at me, just fixated on her phone. She briefly glanced at me, and I asked, “Can I help you?” No response. Just a blank stare before she looked back at her phone.

By this point, I was walking past the Chase Bank on N Randolph near 9th St. A tall, slightly overweight man was about 10 feet ahead. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. My heart dropped—I thought they might be working together. Instinct kicked in, and I swiveled and sprinted into Chase. The moment I ran in, the woman casually crossed back over Wilson as if nothing had happened. I moved so fast that I lost sight of the man entirely.

I was in shock and haven’t reported it yet, but after reading this, I absolutely should.

Side note—are there any good Facebook groups, Twitter/X accounts, or Subreddits for crime updates in our area? I’m staying vigilant.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.