35+ Truly Strange Moments Caught On Security Cameras (Rare Footage Of Unusual Scenes)
Since incidents can occur suddenly or when no one's around, many choose to monitor their property with security cameras—especially if they have issues with neighbors, exes, or intrusive family members.
However, once the cameras are installed, homeowners often catch far more than they anticipated. From bizarre and amusing to downright eerie moments, these occurrences would have gone unnoticed without the footage. Fortunately, some have shared these unexpected findings with others.
A mind of their own
Catching a stranger in your bed on security footage would be pretty alarming, but in this case, the camera actually recorded the homeowner himself. Wondering if he was sleepwalking, he decided to set up the camera to film overnight.
Turns out, he wasn't entirely wrong. Although his legs were moving while he slept, he wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, the video shows him repeatedly bicycle-kicking the air—motivated by whatever only his subconscious knows.
They're lucky it wasn't Thanksgiving
One day, the owner of this security camera got a surprise when two turkeys showed up near their back door. After a moment of hesitation, the bigger turkey stood right at the door and pecked at it, almost like it was knocking.
Unfortunately, the homeowner never got to find out what the turkey wanted. As soon as it made that noise, their dog began barking, scaring both turkeys off—saving the owner from dealing with any more peck marks on the door.
An eye-catching implement
After spotting this man on their security camera, Reddit user AdditionalSeesaw5340 wondered what he was carrying during his unexpected visit. Since they didn't recognize the item, it was natural to worry he might use it to break in.
But it turned out he was holding a carpet installation tool. While it could be misused, the tool is pretty bulky and not exactly ideal for burglary. Most likely, he had just been sent to the wrong house by mistake.
If this is a ghost, it picked an ironic place to appear
It's impossible to miss that this house is filled with skeletons—and the mysterious figure standing beside one has been spotted at a professional haunted house. Since its right leg appears to pass through a solid iron fence, it’s unlikely to be just a trespasser.
However, the footage is low quality, so this figure could easily be a smudge or an object casting a spooky illusion from this angle. Still, you have to admit, this place feels like the perfect setting for a real ghost.
Electrical storms can be powerful and frightening for anyone caught outside during them, yet they often put on a stunning show. Capturing lightning with regular cameras is notoriously difficult due to its fleeting nature.
Luckily, security cameras with a clear street view don't face that challenge as much. This particular camera managed to snap an incredible, massive fork of lightning at its most striking moment.
Get a puppy, they said
When this photo was taken, Reddit user SomeChickkkk had just purchased a security camera to keep an eye on her puppy while she was at work. When she checked the footage, she got a glimpse of what awaited her at home.
Whether due to separation anxiety or simply because it looked like fun, the puppy was chewing up the cloth on her patio table. While the eagle and owl statues stayed intact, she later found pieces of cloth scattered all over her lawn.
Not every camera lives to tell its tale
According to Reddit user mkennedy350Olds, most of the birds in his backyard don't pay much attention to his security camera—they just want to eat. But one European starling clearly cared a lot more about its privacy.
The camera didn’t start off filming the bird at an odd angle. Instead, it looks like the bird attacked the camera until it toppled over. Even though the camera still worked afterward, the owner was surprised by how intensely and aggressively the bird reacted to it.
Someone gathered evidence without even trying
Sometimes, what a security camera records is serious enough to call the police. But one camera caught a rare moment involving someone the police were already watching—and he wasn't trying to hide.
In this footage, the man pulled into the driveway pretty carelessly before jumping out and running. Given what was chasing him into view, it’s clear why he was in such a rush. He definitely chose the wrong driveway to stop at, as this won’t help him stay under the radar.
The best thing they could have captured
Usually, it's not very practical for a security camera to be aimed at the sky, but for one person, it turned out to be worth it. While they didn’t catch any burglars, they did capture a meteor streaking across the sky.
That alone would have been amazing to see, but it got even more incredible when the meteor exploded, like in this footage. Everyone has someone in their neighborhood who knows what’s going on around them, but only this person knows what’s happening above.
What an interesting philosophical question
It's not uncommon for a security camera to mistake its owner’s cat for an intruder, but it’s probably even more common for a curious bird to catch its attention. Judging by the footage, the camera seems just as confused about what it’s seeing as the bird is.
While the camera is likely trying to figure out if it’s recording a human intruder, it raises an interesting question: What makes someone a person? Birds can show plenty of personality, but can one ever truly be considered a person?
They always catch them making the funniest faces
With today's smarter security cameras, owners often receive phone alerts whenever something—or someone—suspicious shows up. While that’s definitely useful, it can also lead to some amusing false alarms.
Take this case: the owner knew their cat was just doing its usual rounds inside the house, but apparently, the camera didn’t. Out of all the moments it could’ve captured, it snapped the cat mid-face-lick—resulting in a photo as awkward as a bad driver’s license picture.
Good luck sleeping after seeing that
Reddit user Unusual-Town4323 shared this eerie image their security camera captured at 4:28 a.m.—and no possible explanation offers much peace of mind. Even the most ordinary theories don't seem to hold up.
One suggestion was that a neighbor might have accidentally entered or broken into the house. But that’s doubtful, as the figure appeared taller than anyone in their quiet rural community. Unless this was some strange lighting illusion, the only explanations left are "ghost" or “burglar”—neither of which is particularly reassuring.
What is this thing?
One night, Reddit user SandipJB's security camera captured a man lurking on their property, holding a large electronic device. As soon as he noticed the camera, he quickly left—but the strange encounter left the Redditor wondering what the man was up to.
The most plausible explanation? The device was likely being used to scan for key codes from vehicles with keyless entry systems. Once the man realized the camera made him too visible to pull off the theft, he bailed and likely went looking for another target.
What is that?
Reddit user fit_then_fat posted a clip from their home security camera in Costa Rica, showing a dimly lit neighborhood with an unusual figure walking in from the right. While some hanging leaves are visible in the frame, a barking dog can also be seen keeping its distance from the strange visitor.
Some viewers speculated it might be a cryptid, but the odd, crab-like movement made it more likely to be a very flexible person walking in an unusual way—unless, of course, it was an actual giant crab. Either way, the dog clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
It turns out it could do this all along
This person has an infrared security camera, and they've been testing out what it can actually see through. This makes their photo a pretty unique case, as the surprise here is not what appeared on that camera but rather what the camera is capable of.
In this case, they learned that the camera's infrared capabilities are strong enough to see through their black Wiimote. One can only assume that this was the start of them trying to see what everything else in their house looked like on the inside.
That's one mystery solved
When Reddit user xFiGGiE came home one day, they noticed that their mailbox had been knocked askew. Since the idea of someone messing around with their mail was a cause for concern, they checked their security cameras to see what happened.
And as it turns out, there weren't as many missing pieces to the story as they may have thought. As this footage makes abundantly clear, some kid on a bike simply ran into it before taking a tumble. It was pretty obviously an accident.
Sometimes, things aren't as scary as they look
At around 4 am, Reddit user Rjw1958USA's security camera caught a strange shadow and a brief glint of light passing across their front door. They were expecting to see a fox or some other local animal on the camera footage but were baffled by what they were looking at.
However, the shape of the shadow led some commenters to realize what was really going on. A spider had built a web close enough to the camera that its shadow appeared to pass in front of the door and showed up as larger than it actually was. And that light is the glint off its web.
An unexpected light
Understandably, this camera's owner couldn't help but be perplexed when he saw this glowing tube float into camera range and hover around his backyard for about 30 seconds. Although it finally moved out of frame after that, it was hard not to wonder what it was.
But rather than ghosts or aliens, the most likely answer seems to be a common pest called a cankerworm. According to Grist Magazine, these little worms have a lot of tiny legs, like this creature did when it was further from the camera. Most tellingly, they're known to glide on wind currents. Oftentimes, they drop on people's heads.
Looks like the surveillance device has been compromised
At about 5 am, Reddit user BT278 was alarmed to discover that their security camera had picked up some movement in their house while they were out of town. However, this turned out to be a pretty adorable false alarm.
Apparently, their cat had discovered the camera for the first time and was now poking around and wondering what strange little device it had uncovered. If this was a secret spy mission, this was the precise moment when it would have failed.
The mystery continues
On June 15, 2023, Reddit user AnnArterburn caught sight of a bright, rectangular object with an array of lights silently flying above her home. And when she checked her security camera, she saw that it had already made a pass above her before she stepped outside and spotted it.
Unfortunately, it remains unclear what she saw. Although some suggested it could be a helicopter with a spotlight, she noted that it would both look and sound entirely different to the myriad helicopters she had seen above her home since she lives near a hospital. At least until more information comes in, this is indeed an unidentified flying object.
The cutest behavior
When the owner of this security camera reviewed the footage from his back deck, he caught sight of a raccoon periodically standing and making hugging motions with its front legs. That's a cute image on its own, but what it was actually doing was particularly adorable.
After a while, it was clear that these little motions came at the same time as snowflakes fell into the frame. So, the little raccoon was doing its best to catch the falling snow. It never appeared to catch anything, but it looked incredibly sweet doing it.
A jarring sight that's easy to explain
When Reddit user popson received an alert from their security system at 3 am, they checked their cameras to see who or what had managed to breach their garage. And when they did, they saw what looked like a brightly lit assortment of limbs rappelling through the roof.
Although it's not unheard of for burglars to enter spaces this way, they usually only have two arms and two legs when they do it. Since this creature found it as easy to climb up the rope as it dropped down and didn't damage the garage, it's likely that a spider just dropped too close to the camera's lens.
The "what" is known, but not the "why"
After Reddit user ObesePotato's security camera caught someone fiddling with their air conditioner, they turned to a community for HVAC experts to help figure out what the person did. Since they suddenly stood up and left in the footage, the Redditor deemed it likely that they had finished what they were trying to do before they ran off.
As far as anyone could tell, the person had taken one of the locking caps on the unit, which is needed to pass inspection when installing a unit like this. However, it's unclear whether they were interrupted while trying to steal more parts for the unit or quickly "borrowed" that part while installing someone else's air conditioner. Either way, it's certainly suspicious.
A chilling appearance
Reddit user SCasie shared this photo sent by their mother-in-law after her brother's security camera caught sight of this person walking on his back patio. For the mother-in-law, the person's likeness stuck out in an eerie way because she was the spitting image of her mother, who had passed away about a decade prior.
While it's hard for the woman not to suspect that the ghost of her mother paid her brother a visit, there isn't exactly a comforting alternative to this possibility. After all, any confirmation that there isn't any paranormal activity going on here would indicate that a total stranger has been trespassing on the brother's property for an unknown reason.
There's nothing anyone can do about that
When the owner of this security camera noticed their trash bins had been knocked over, they checked the footage to see who was responsible for this. But while they may have expected to see some local pranksters, an animal, or a disgruntled garbage collector, they saw none of the above.
Instead, it turned out that the wind had blown strong enough to knock them over. Moreover, it was blowing with such force that once the bins tipped over, they started circling each other on the sidewalk as if they were sharing a strange dance.
Not as scary as it seems, but not fun
At about 5am, Reddit user cadarn07's security camera emailed them to notify them of movement it detected in their house. And when they checked the footage, they were unnerved to discover a strange flying smudge hovering above their dining room table.
It's a little hard to see here but it looks a little like a spherical orb in the grainy footage. However, it seemed much more likely to commenters that the camera just detected a large bug. Still, that's a bigger bug to deal with than most people would want.
The cameras don't just watch strangers
Although security cameras are often installed to alert homeowners about anyone (or anything) who isn't supposed to be there, they are just as good as catching the situations that those who belong there end up facing. Unfortunately for this woman, that also includes their mistakes.
At first, there isn't much noteworthy activity going on in this footage but that changes when she gets to the door connecting the garage to the rest of the house. When she opened the door, she apparently forgot to get out of its way and just pulled it into a collision course with her face. Oops.
Nothing was broken but his pride
After a moment of calm, this man's security camera caught him awkwardly skidding down his stairs on his behind. And once he lands, the grimace on his face showed that he had taken a fairly nasty fall.
Still, it certainly could have been much worse, as he was able to get up and walk away with just some minor aches. This likely came as a great relief to his dog, who immediately followed him downstairs to see whether he was OK.
It wants to know the camera's secrets
Once this cat found its owner's security camera, it clearly saw something suspicious that it needed to get to the bottom of. Those big eyes weren't just curious, they appeared stunned to have this device suddenly appear in what is obviously this cat's territory.
From the looks of it, the only solution was to jam its face as close to the lens as possible. That's always the most necessary step of a thorough investigation. And it blocks the camera from getting any visual information besides fur and eyes. That's some effective counterintelligence.
Sometimes, it's all about what the camera doesn't see
Although anyone who's ever worked in a convenience store can attest to how blurry older security cameras often are, the muddled quality here is a little beyond the pale. Although a hallway seems to be faintly visible here, the random messages and fuzz seem to be overcrowding it.
That's because this is actually a newer camera that somehow found itself on its last legs. It's not supposed to look like this, but it's now easy to see how the makers of found footage horror movies got the inspiration for their jumpscares.
A constant, glowing presence
After they woke up, Reddit user BodhisattvaJones checked their security camera's overnight notifications and was stunned to see this glowing presence float in place for about an hour between 5 am and 6 am. Although it faded away, they were unsure what could have caused it.
Although their wife believed that it was a sign of her fallen grandmother — who had passed away close to that spot — the camera's inability to focus on it suggested to commenters it was a small object that had pressed against the lens. Either it was a caught strand of hair that blew away after an hour or the leg of an insect that finally moved out of frame.
Well, hello there
Although it's hardly unusual for the local fauna to get curious when somebody puts up a security camera, it can still be a little surprising to see which creatures show up in a given day. And on one special day, this red-headed woodpecker decided to stop by.
Unlike other animals who typically stare curiously into a security camera once they find it, this bird seems a little more smug about its discovery. "Get a load of this place," it seems to say as it pushes its head into the frame to give the camera the side-eye.
A curious mystery involving a blunt object
When Reddit user AoifeSports2021 saw that the security camera in their basement had alerted them to something moving, they reviewed the footage and were perplexed by what they saw. A thick stick-like object seemed to be poking in and out of frame, but they weren't sure what it was.
Although one commenter suggested it could be a rodent's tail, AoifeSports2021 thought it moved too stiffly for that to be the case. As such, the most plausible theory is that it was a spider's leg that kept brushing up against the lens. Security cameras can be very useful, but they're not the greatest at depth perception.
They think nobody's watching
After this person brought a pet gecko home, they set up a security camera to let them check on its well-being. However, this camera also showed them what their new friend gets up to when the lights are off, and everyone's gone to bed.
And as shown here, it's a little hard to tell exactly what that behavior is. Is the gecko looking at something nobody else can see, or is it just treating the branches of its enclosure like it's Pride Rock?
A reason for suspicion
When Reddit user G_B_3_4 posted this blurry, oddly-framed photo that their cousin had apparently taken with his security camera, commenters found reasons to be suspicious. The fact that it was photographed from the viewfinder gave them the impression that the cousin was intentionally distorting the image to make it look more paranormal than it was.
Still, such accusations raised a persistent question: What is this this thing? While it would certainly be hasty to jump to the conclusion that it's an alien or a ghost, it has a hard face to identify and an even harder one to ignore. Perhaps it's a moth shown very up close and without the best image quality?
More wholesome than it seemed
At first, Reddit user 2daMoonVinny was nervous when he checked his security camera to see a teenager poking around his Mazda Miata. For a brief moment, it seemed like the entire reason someone would train a security camera on their car was unfolding right in front of his eyes.
However, he soon learned that the kid was merely checking the car out and admiring it. More specifically, he was looking at the front to see whether it was a Miata NA, which Motor Trend explained was the deeply respected original run of the popular car model. He seemed a little disappointed when he learned it was newer.
Message received
Although security cameras can give their owners a lot of peace of mind, that's not always true for that owner's neighbors. Some of them don't particularly like having those cameras around, especially when they feel like they're the ones being watched.
However, it's rare that they react quite like this one did, who apparently thought they needed to pair their sentiment with a particularly grisly Halloween decoration. Their neighbor may not have been looking at anything before, but they're certainly looking at that now.
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