u/Lukas_669

# AIO? My ex-GF destroyed my car

I honestly don't know if I'm overreacting or if this is as insane as it feels.

My ex and I broke up a few weeks ago. It wasn't a great breakup, but I thought we had both moved on. We hadn't been talking much, and I was trying to keep my distance.

Yesterday, I walked outside to find my car completely vandalized.

The windshield was cracked, both sides were deeply scratched, and someone had keyed nearly every panel. To top it off, there was spray paint across the doors with a message that was obviously meant for me.

A neighbor told me they saw my ex near the car the night before. I don't have video proof yet, but the timing is hard to ignore.

I filed a police report and contacted my insurance, but some friends are telling me I'm making too big of a deal out of it and should just let it go because "it's only a car."

But this feels way bigger than property damage to me. It feels intimidating, and now I'm genuinely worried about what she might do next.

AIO for taking this seriously and involving the police?

It's crazy what happens outside these days.

I still can't decide if I crossed a line, so I genuinely want some outside opinions.

A few days ago, I was in a public place when I saw a woman screaming at a young child. At first, I assumed it was just a parent having a really bad moment, so I tried to stay out of it.

Then she grabbed the child and started hitting them.

The kid was crying and clearly terrified. I looked around, expecting someone else to intervene, but everyone just stood there watching.

I told the woman to stop. She turned on me immediately and started screaming that it was none of my business and that the child was hers.

When she tried to hit the child again, I stepped between them and physically stopped her. I didn't hit her or try to hurt her, but I did grab her arm and move her away from the child.

She completely lost it.

She started yelling that I had assaulted her, that I was a stranger interfering with her family, and that I had no idea what was going on.

The child was still crying, so I stayed between them until help arrived.

Afterward, some people told me I absolutely did the right thing. But others said I had no right to physically interfere and that I could have made the situation much worse.

Now I'm wondering whether I let my emotions take over.

I keep thinking: What if I hadn't stepped in and something much worse had happened?

Was I overreacting and wasn't allowed to intervene?