CCTV caught a stranger following her home after midnight and creeping onto her porch. One unexpected move made him bolt
Jerah didn't cower in fear, and it was truly helpful because the man turned out to be a serial stalker and was on the police's arrest list for a while
Jerah Jorinscay didn’t notice a shadow lurking behind her until she reached the door of her house in Hallett Place. It was around 12:41 am on Sunday, and she was returning after a night out at a bar in Bellevue, Pennsylvania. While she rummaged through her purse to pull out a bunch of keys, she noticed a double shadow on the door. When she turned around, she was left horrified to see a young man standing there with gloves in his hands. But instead of slipping inside the door or cowering in fear, the 25-year-old woman used her voice to scare the stalker away. She immediately reported the incident to the police and the media outlets to caution other women to stay vigilant, according to reports by Pittsburgh's Action News 4 on August 18, 2026, and Inside Edition on August 20, 2026.
A double shadow provides the clue
Thanks to the gap between her unzipping her purse and shuffling inside to find the keys, her gaze fell upon the door front and caught the creep’s shadow. The surveillance camera footage, shared by the news outlet, shows the man approaching Jorinscay from behind as she tries to unlock her door. “When he saw me struggling with my keys to get the top lock open, and that's when he approached the porch, and I saw the shadow of his face, like, move behind my head,” Jorinscay described to Pittsburgh's Action News 4. When she noticed that he had gloves in his hands, she immediately sensed what he was up to, for she started screaming at the top of her voice.
The audacity to laugh
“Who are you?” Jorinscay shrieked. He walked away, laughing. Instead of shrinking away in fear, she stepped outside the door, followed the guy, and demanded to know what he was doing there. “I thought if there’s a bear coming after me in the woods, be bigger than the bear,” the woman shared with Inside Edition. And although she only noticed him after he was already on her front porch, police’s investigation revealed that he might have been following her all the way while she walked home. Her screams awakened her roommate Maya, with the help of whom she called the police.
A troubling pattern
Cut to now, the authorities have arrested the suspect on charges including stalking and harassment. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026. On that day, when Jorinscay asked his name, the man answered “Ben,” but police identified him as Anthony Bartos. Turned out, Jorinscay was not the only woman who encountered this frightening man. Investigation uncovered several previous cases that the man was charged with, including prowling, harassment, gun, and assault.
The feeling of being watched
Jorinscay’s instance is a reflective reminder that triggers the negative state of women in today’s society, especially for all those who have experienced it firsthand. About 1 in 5 women have been stalked at some point in their lives, per the CDC. The CDC also found that 78% of female stalking victims reported being followed, watched, or spied on. Stalking can have serious effects on victims, including fear, concern for their safety, and mental or emotional harm.
'He knew what he was doing'
Viewers were quick to point out that Bartos probably had an evil plan in mind, given that he was there on her front porch in the middle of a summer night, wearing gloves. @shannong0079 commented, “His gloves revealing his motive! Evil lurks amongst us.” @mlevine1772 said, “The gloves are the scary part. He knew what he was doing. He's probably a psycho killer.” @superfatcat2525 added, “And that’s the way you handle these creeps. Be loud like a boss. These guys are cowards.”
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