Should I call the police on myself? I did something really dumb.

I was walking out a store, stressed out and on the phone, dealing with a work screwup, and walked to my car. I got to the van, and through the door windows I could see some other lady watching me on the passenger side, and I was like, WTF...she opened the passenger door, and I opened the driver's side door...and then I realized that the van door I just opened was NOT MINE, it was HERS!

She didn't say anything, and I said "Oh, I'm sorry!" and walked away, telling the person I was on the phone with what I did... I was kind of dazed and doing the basic hyperventilating...went to my car, which was a bit further back. I could see her when I got to my car and looked back as if to say "See, same color, same make, same thing, sorry!" but she wasn't looking at me, she was putting her stroller away in the trunk (geez!)...I waited a few seconds, to see if she was looking...and then I drove away.

I could have been *way* more apologetic, I know. I probably scared that poor woman and she probably thinks I was trying to carjack her and her baby or steal stuff in her car. I half wonder whether she called the police on me...or whether I should call someone...I feel *very* badly that I didn't further explain that I had a van of the same make, color, everything.

I feel like a dummy.

She's probably telling the same story to her husband/friends.

And her husband's probably telling her that's what she gets for leaving the door open.

But now she's going to have nightmares about me for the rest of her life...um, except I'm not particularly threatening....but still. :(

you might have just saved her life. She'll NEVER leave the door open like that, and just reduced her chances of getting carjacked or otherwise hurt in the same scenario.

YOU'RE A FRIKKIN HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

It was a honest mistake. If she was freaked out maybe she'll lock the door in the future. }( Seriously, if it scared her, there's little doubt that she noticed where you went and only an idiot would call the cops after seeing you get into essentially the same vehicle. If the cops get a report, the worst that would happen is they'd track you down, and one look at your vehicle would end the investigation.

Hey, we all have those moments.:hi:

edited for my crappy typing skills.

:scared:

I know it's okay, in my head, not a big deal...and I'm not that important to her that she'll remember me...but I don't want to be thought of as a possible criminal. And I guess her opinion doesn't matter...but still. Geez.

Thanks for the post!

You can't undo this silly little mistake and even in the minor scheme of things, it's nothing more. If you're worried about her remembering you with anger or fear, then if you do see her AND it's obvious she recognizes you, apologize for the confusion.

Really tjdee -- it's nothing. Laugh at yourself. You're only human!

vehicle this time.

And you should have apologized to her, taking a moment away from your phone, and affording the courtesy to the woman in front of you.

You didn't do anything wrong by attempting to get in her vehicle, you just made a mistake.

I've done it before! I had a white ford explorer and there were THOUSANDS of them in Los Angeles. I always had to check the trim an details before getting in!

and stood there like an idiot wondering why my keys didn't work. :dunce: Don't feel bad, she probably realized what had happened.

I should have noticed, her van was WAY neater than mine!

:dunce:

After trying to open other people's cars a few times (apparently green Saturn wagons are way more common than I thought) I slapped half a dozen stickers on the back and got a hood ornament (helps to find it in parking lots, too. My car sits really low so it's hard to find if vans or SUVs are on either side.)

If I try to climb into the *other* green Saturn wagon with half a dozen political bumper stickers, a roof rack and an antenna topper shaped like a shark, Rod Serling will come out and welcome me to the twilight zone.

I was *completely* oblivious. I was on the phone, thinking about work, wondering if I had time to do the other thing I was supposed to do, thinking I was hungry...maybe having a sticker would have worked on my subconscious mind even if I wasn't paying attention.

Have to go looking at some of them. :hi:

I mean, c'mon...

I don't even want to know why you had that image lying around.

I have this.

I like to look through a cavernous set of honkers while I floss it through traffic.

Word.

:rofl:

I'd not mind taking your nekkid body, making a plaster cast, and bolting that to my hood.

Sure, I'd feel silly driving it, but at least I got to make a plaster cast of your nekkid body. Mmmmmm...rewards.

:scared: :hide:

you have none.

Least...not from what I've seen.

You're finger lickin' good.

Then I realized that would be stupid. I'm glad you like my body, and I'm going to shut up and let you continue to do so.


See, I'm learning. :D

is NEVER stupid. However, I do believe I'd win that particular debate.

And, that said, like it...when one is pause-the-dvd hot, one isn't liked. One is sopped up with a vegan biscuit.

police. I certainly understand your feelings; I would probably have reacted the same way. My guess is the woman, while being scared you might have been trying to steal her vehicle/child, also feels pretty much like a dummy too -- why on earth would she have left her child unattended in the vehicle, even for a moment? If she needed to put a cart away or something, leave the child in the cart, put it away, and carry said child back to the car.

You're fine.... :hug:

Tip O'Neil related the story in his book "Man of the House".

Apparently Hoover was in Maryland, at a racetrack, watching a horse race. He accidentally took the wrong car and drove it all the way back to D.C. before he realized what he'd done.

So technically, the head of the FBI was guilty of car theft AND transporting stolen goods across state lines-- a federal offense.

That would have been REALLY interesting!

before I realized it wasn't mine.

Jumped out, looked around and wondered if someone was going to come running out to see why I was trying to steal their car.

I would have died if there would have been someone getting in the other side.

I would guess if the woman was calmly putting her stuff away in the trunk, she realized it was a mix up. Who knows, maybe she already tried to get into your car :)

I was sitting in my car, waiting for it to warm up. Some woman opens the door and sits next to me. We make eye contact and she's surprised to find that she's in the wrong damned car. Lo and behold, her husband has the same car. He pulls up behind me and she quickly slinks away.

I was speechless.

I now check to lock the doors.

A kid tugged on my pants and I took his hand. We both watched the gorillas a little bit, and then I heard this terrible frightened mom yelp.

I looked down at the kid, he looked at me, and it wasn't my kid!

The kid's dad came running, and we looked at each other, and we were both wearing Levis and he was about as tall as I was. Our kids were about the same size too.

We all laughed, but for a second there it was really scary.

And was horrified to find an older lady putting things in the trunk. Turns out she had the exact same make and model and mine was only a couple of parking spaces down from hers. I made a joke and she got it. Humor takes the edge off of things. Just put it out of your mind. I'm sure that she got it that you were preoccupied and thought it was your car. This happens.:-)

Besides, calling the cops on YOURSELF for being a bit of an absentminded goof hardly matches crime with punishment.
{{{{Ring ring ring}}}}}}
Good afternoon, Pleasent Valley Police

You: Um...yeah...i'd like to report an incident
Desk Sarge: What was the incident sir?
You: Well...ummmm...i got into the wrong car at the store.
DS: ...............
You: And there was this lady
DS: Yes?
You: And she was putting her groceries in the car.
DS: ............
You: Well?
DS: Well what, sir?
You: Are you going to come over and investigate?
DS: ..............
You: I mean...i was going to get INTO A CAR THAT WASNT MINE!
DS: Sir...did you ACTUALLY get into the car?
You: Umm...no
DS: Did the lady say anything to you?
You: ummm...no.
DS: Sir?
You: Yes?
DS: Good afternoon sir. And have another beer.
::Hangs up::

"He's stealing my car! He's stealing my car!" This older man was standing by HER car, supposedly. I, being a do-gooder, ran over to confront this car thief when the man yells "Its my car! I have the keys!"
As it turned out the Lady's car, identical to his, was parked in the next row. The poor guy!
Thye Lady just blew it off like "Oh I'm sorry" and giggled.
That man and I both looked like assholes in front of dozens of shoppers.

It was a mistake, you apologized and everyone went on with their life except you. Just forget it.

i had one of those geo prisms, remember them, and all of them were white

i started to get into somebody elses

it's funny now

don't worry abt it, if the cops show up at yr house, you can show them that yr van is the same and you'll all get a good chuckle

accident? :shrug:

You made an honest mistake, it's not worth overthinking it like this. From what you said she didn't seem all that concerned, she probauly believed your story. My guess is she brought it up at dinner with the family that night for a quick funny story and that'll be the end of it. She'll forget you and the whole incident as she goes about her daily business for the rest of the week.

spacing out and being a creep. She probably figured it out.

can't put his friggin' cell phone down for a minute and can't, as a result, even find his own friggin' car in a parking lot.

clutch was gone. She ran back into the store and said that someone had stolen her clutch!

Oh, mom....

They helped her figure out that it was Mrs. Bibbit's car, and hers, with the clutch intact, was on the other side of the parking lot.

We all get distracted!

She probably forgot about it by the time you got to your car.

Stress can make the little things seem so much worse, eh? I hope today is better for you.

I opened the door and looked in, hmmm... baby seat....nope, not my car.

A guy came out and asked what I was doing, I pointed out my identical car a row back, apologized and we both had a laugh.

Happens to the best of us, kid.

Don't sweat it.

The old double reverse bait and switch with a twist con.
The crook stakes out a parking lot and watches for identical cars to pull in. As soon as one driver re-emerges from the store he follows his victim to the car. Should the victim get in the wrong car the crook comes along and hops in too scowling at the victim who now realizes that a mistake has just been made. Thusly distracted the victim goes off in search of the right car while the crook makes off with the "wrong" car. Oldest trick in the book.





(if I didn't make you giggle...... sorry,..... judging by the other posts in your thread I suspect what happened to you happens all the time. Perhaps if you meet this person again you might ask her how she likes the new car, then tell her that managed to find another one just like it, runs fine... smile when you do this.)