Woman Walks Home Alone in NYC at 12:01 a.m., Rates 'Scared Level' on Journey

Walking alone at midnight in New York City can be a nerve-wracking experience, and one TikTok user has given a play-by-play of her "scared level" along the way.

In a viral TikTok video, Jessica McGirr, 24, shared her journey home in the early hours of the morning, rating how safe she feels at different points. Her captions provided a real-time glimpse into her thought process, which ranged from totally safe to moderately spooked. McGirr spoke to Newsweek about the video, which has reached nearly 230,000 views since it was posted.

"Walk home alone with me at midnight in NYC," McGirr captioned the video. "12:08 AM. I hate this blocked sidewalk tunnel of doom. Scared level: 7/10."

She continued: "12:10 a.m. Lots of people walking and driving around. No one sus about so far. Scared level: 1/10 … 12:13 a.m. Descending into the hole. Not many people about, I am now on high alert, ready to use my Lulu bottle as a weapon if needed. Scared level: 5/10."

McGirr, originally from Ireland, told Newsweek that she started filming these walks because of the online discourse around subway safety—especially for women traveling alone.

"Coming from Ireland to New York, I had read and seen a lot of negative content about the subway and how unsafe it is," McGirr said. "That made me very afraid to use it when I first moved here. After a while, I began to realize that it isn't that unsafe."

While McGirr acknowledged that there are risks, she said she also feels that "the danger of the subway is over-sensationalized online."

When Does NYC Feel Most Unsafe?

Despite generally feeling comfortable in the city, McGirr said that certain moments on her commute definitely heighten her sense of alertness.

"Some factors that made the commute more scary were times when there weren't that many people around, and when entering the subway, as I never know what's waiting down the steps until I go down and can assess the situation," she added.

"While waiting on the platform, I feel a bit more nervous as that's where a majority of recent issues on the system have been occurring—people being pushed onto tracks, a woman being lit on fire."

Like many women, McGirr said she instinctively feels safer in crowds. "Anytime I was in a crowded area, I felt a lot safer," she added.

Managing Risks

McGirr's video received many comments, with a large portion of them expressing solidarity over the precautions that women feel they have to take.

"It sucks, but what to do? Better safe than sorry. Glad to see others being so aware!" one person wrote.

"It upsets me that this is the reality for women," another posted.

However, McGirr said the purpose of her video wasn't to highlight fear, but to show that women can take public transport safely—if they take precautions.

"I just wanted to add another perspective to the narrative that is pushed a lot online that the subway is a no-go for all women after dark," she said, "which I personally think is not true."

McGirr does acknowledge, however, that her experience might not apply to everyone: "I live in a pretty safe area and use one of the safer, busier subway lines," she said. "For people in less safe areas, taking the subway might actually be more dangerous."

For McGirr, commuting at night isn't about ignoring risks—it is about managing them. And while she knows some people will never feel comfortable walking alone at midnight, she said she hopes her videos show that not every subway ride ends in disaster.