From close calls with wildlife to close calls with Mother Nature, every once in a while, a security cam captures a moment that could have been tragic but wasn’t. Here are six times a security camera recorded a close call that was a little too close for comfort.
1. Coyote Chases 4-Year-Old Girl
“Dad, there’s a coyote!” a four-year-old girl says as she runs through her backyard in Portland, Oregon (a coyote chases after her). “Nooo,” says the girl’s father skeptically, thinking she’s mistaken. “Yeah!” she says. Then the dad turns around and realizes there actually is a coyote chasing his child. His disbelief quickly turns to horror as he snatches his kid and swears in surprise. A home security camera caught the whole scene on video.
Watch it here:
2. Two Men Dive to Escape a Falling Tree
Two friends were enjoying a backyard campfire in Powhatan, Virginia when a 40-foot tree fell and nearly crushed them. After hearing the tree’s roots cracking, the two men dove to safety in the split second they had to get out of the way.
In footage from a security camera, you can hear cracking noises shortly before the tree falls into view. The men leap from their chairs and over a fence into the arms of a prickly bush, just in the knick of time.
Watch the close call caught on a security camera here:
3. Woman Catches a Snake Eating Her Pet
As she was talking on the phone with her dad, Katie Lowdon walked onto her porch in Washington State and saw something terrible was going down. A snake was eating her “frog buddy,” which had been hanging around her porch for three years. In fact, the snake had the frog in its mouth. A Ring doorbell camera caught the scene on video.
Watch how Lowdon saved her pet frog here. (Warning: Explicit language.)
4. Black Bear Surprises Man in His Garage
A Canadian man had an unexpected bear encounter in his garage, and the footage from his home security camera went viral. In the video, the man turns a corner into the garage and a black bear runs at him. Despite undoubtedly being surprised, the man holds his ground. He does not run from the animal. He backs away slowly and begins clapping his hands and making noise.
Watch a man’s close call with a bear here:
5. Girl Narrowly Avoids Lightning Strikes
A teenage girl is lucky after very narrowly avoiding a lightning strike (or five). 15-year-old Saniya Kumari was on a terrace in India when lightning struck a metal roof right next to her, multiple times. The shocking video went viral.
Watch a girl barely avoid lightning here:
A Girl was making a reel video in Sitamarhi, Bihar when lightning struck her from the sky, The woman survived the lightning strike🤯#bihar #lightning #sdcworld #life #reels pic.twitter.com/BN2PU5oJ0C
— SDC World (@sdcworldoffl) June 26, 2024
6. Cougar Startles Family in Washington Backyard
In a video captured by the Havener family’s security cameras, a cougar sprints across the lawn in a Monroe, Washington backyard. It appears to be chasing a house cat when it reaches the porch and comes to a sudden stop. Beneath a shade umbrella on the porch, there’s a mother, a daughter, and a puppy. The mountain lion looks at them, long enough for the house cat to make a great escape, and then the cougar follows it off screen.
Watch security-camera footage of a close call with a cougar here: