Random Secrets Revealed by Google Maps (13 items)

• 

  (#13) A Possible Offender On The Run In South Africa

  This image was captured in South Africa in 2010. While the man depicted in the image capture looks like an escapee from the United States, many pointed out he could be a municipal worker. In South Africa, some municipal workers wear orange as part of their uniform.

  It's unclear where the man is running from or what he's running towards. 
• 

  (#2) Teen Finds Bike Nabbers On Holland Street View

  After a teen in Groningen, Holland had his bike taken, he couldn't get the police to do anything about it. But six months later he found photo evidence using Google Street View. Cameras captured an image of the alleged culprits trailing behind the victim prior to taking the bike.

  The 14-year-old used the image to help authorities apprehend two suspects.
• 

  (#11) Google Street View Car Hits A Chilean Dog

  In 2013, while mapping a street in Chile, a Google Street View car appeared to hit a dog that was in the street. The series of images depict the dog running into the street and then the aftermath.

  Google was contacted for comment, but this was not the first incident of this nature. The year prior, Google was accused of accidentally hitting a donkey in Botswana.
• 

  (#5) Is That A Body Or A Sunbather?

  In 2013, this image made its way onto the internet and freaked out everybody who saw it. Why would there be a body in the back of a truck in Wilmington, NC? Why would a woman catch some Zs at 70 mph? After a while, so much suspicion mounted the police began looking into it.

  It turns out the "person" depicted in the image is actually Oscar - a US Coast Guard search-and-rescue dummy.
• 

  (#3) Ax Prank In Edinburgh Caught On Google Street View

  Playing around with the Google Street View car can be fun, but as these mechanics from Edinburgh discovered, sometimes having too much fun can have consequences. The two goofs forgot about the pranks until the photos were uploaded to Google months later and a concerned citizen called the police. The images depict a man assailing the other.

  Luckily, one of the cops who "solved" the case had a friend who had his car serviced at the mechanic's shop where this took place. Dan Thompson, the shop's manager, told authorities: "It was in the spur of the moment [...] It seemed like the obvious thing to do so I threw myself on the ground and Gary grabbed a pick-axe handle from the garage."
• 

  (#7) UK Offender Determines Victims With Google Earth

  In 2010, Steve Hodgson, a career offender, used Google Earth to case the home of 85-year-old Patricia Thompson. Hodgson entered the premises of her home in Hartburn, England, and ended Thompson's life before he made off with her valuables.  

  Hodgson then went on a spending jaunt using his victim's bank card and persuaded his girlfriend to pawn Thompson's jewelry, including a wedding ring. The Crown Court eventually sentenced Hodgson to a couple decades behind bars.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking