Van life has taken the internet by storm in recent years, as people give up their homes and apartments to live in fully renovated vehicles. There are a lot of upsides to the nomadic lifestyle. It’s cheaper, you can take your home anywhere you want, and it makes for amazing TikTok content. In this viral video, it seems like one negative is heavily outweighing the positives.
Van Life creator Joe Felz posted two videos reporting an ominous message they found next to the van while they were camping. He and his partner called the park ranger’s office where they were camping to let them know that they found a rock one morning that said “I will kill again.”
The park ranger sounded audibly concerned about the incident and told the couple to report the incident to a local service patrol captain.
Many commenters thought that the park ranger made it sound like this wasn’t the first time they’d had an incident like this one. Several even noted that the sequence seemed like the beginning of a horror movie. “Him pretending to be stabbed was like a horror movie before the knife came through… no more TV for me LOL,” said one commenter.
The couple posted a follow-up video calling the police office, and needless to say, the call did not inspire them to feel better about what they had found.
The lack of confidence in the dispatcher’s voice led commenters to encourage the couple to search their van for any sort of tracking device. Viewers were quick to send them well wishes on the rest of their trip and ask for updates on the scary situation.
According to The Vanabond Tales, van life crimes are more common than a lot of people may think. Late-night break-ins are one of the top incidents to be aware of when living in a vehicle. Fires, animal incidents, and becoming stranded are far more common than finding an ominous rock next to your van. Most van-related incidents are completely preventable Securng your van, putting out fires, and locking up food can be important in preventing any situations that could make van life less than pleasant.
According to their page, Joe and his partner are very much alive and well, and as far as they know, nothing more came from the situation. This certainly speaks to the perils of van life and maybe a deterrent from picking everything up and moving to a van anytime soon.