When Google maps rolled out to the world in October 2005, it became a staple for many mobile app users but it was a basic app. In 2009, Google changed the way we viewed our world by introducing the concept of street view. This feature took years to complete because of the intensive algorithms and the sheer volume of photos that were needed. During the process of mapping out the entire United States, photos were taken at street level of businesses and homes to be added to the database. As with any large photography project, some of the photos caught more than was intended. We’ve all had fun using Google maps and zooming in on houses and offices to see what is there. I can honestly say, this doesn’t always work out. Google now has an extensive library of shocking, hilarious, and definitely creepy images of things that were caught on camera. We all know that we have to watch what we do in public, but thanks to Google, public space has extended its range. I’ve looked up some of these images and have just shaken my head. Join me in a stroll through the halls of Google maps fame and infamy. Sit back and soak in some of the creepiest moments that have been immortalized forever on Google maps.

20. What kind of experiment is this?

I was browsing through the overabundance of Google images that made their way to the map and street view, and I found this one. I can’t even begin to explain what these “scientists” are doing but it looks both dangerous and stupid. Google struck gold when it found science and technology going horribly wrong. I can only hope this was a setup and not true stupidity in action. We always hope that these bizarre images are fake and that it’s an example of creativity. But, even if we never find out why this occurred, it’s been immortalized forever on Google maps. So next time you want to try and make it look like you are smart, make sure to watch for cameras.

19. Are those bodies or dummies?

When I ran across this photo, I’ll admit it really creeped me out. At first glance, it truly resembles a pile of bodies next to a trash can. On closer look, you can see it’s a bunch of mannequins that are being disposed of. This photo is creepy on several levels. The mannequins being piled up in the garbage the way they are looks like a practical joke gone wrong, but I feel sorry for anyone who happened to glance at this as they were walking by. It is bizarre enough that it could have induced a panic attack. And now, thanks to Google Maps and street view, this image will be able to pop up and creep people out for decades to come.

18. Naked in the trunk

I’m not sure what this man is doing in the trunk of a car. Is this a prank gone wrong or a drunken idea that occurred randomly? Either way, it’s a strange thing to see a naked man climbing out of a car in a driveway in a random neighbourhood. I only hope this was a one time situation and that the neighbours aren’t treated to an R rated view daily. Thankfully there is a fence around the driveway. Unfortunately, several off colour remarks and jokes went through my head when I saw this. I’m not sure if this classifies as truly creepy, but I definitely put it in the disturbing category. All I can say is “Dude, this is not how to pack your car.”

17. Not A Typical Outdoor business meeting

I found quite a few photos that managed to capture the darker side of society. Somehow, Google cameras have managed to catch behaviour that is best kept indoors and in the dark. Ranging from drug and firearm deals to sexual acts, it all comes out on Google. This photo is disturbing for the nonchalant attitude of the people in it. Most people would not be comfortable handling illegal weapons in public, but these men truly don’t seem to care. Although I don’t know the full backstory on this image, I think I can safely say, it’s not a good situation. I can’t think of any type of situation that calls for two men to be handling rifles in front of building, at least no reason that is legal.

16. Baby-sitting Gone Wrong

This is truly disturbing for way too many reasons. I can’t fathom a reason why a baby would be sitting alone in front of a Gucci store. Several questions definitely come to mind with this one. Where is the adult? Why didn’t someone go rescue the child? And how did this happen in the first place. I understand that children can wander off, but this is a young baby. How did someone lose track of this child long enough for the Google camera to capture this image? I couldn’t stop shaking my head when I ran across this one. For the love of everything, keep an eye on your kids. Gucci can wait, kids can’t.

15. An Old-Fashioned Chicken Fight

When it comes to horrible things, animal fighting ranks right up there in despicable behaviour performed by people. People who are willing to put animals through the hell of fighting each other try to stay in the shadows, but thanks to Google some are getting caught and immortalized on the internet forever. Google cameras may have caught a chicken fight in progress. These men have been displayed for their horrendous behaviour for the whole world to view. Hopefully, someone recognized them and turned them in so no more chickens will suffer at their hands, or any other animals they may have had their eyes on.

14. Dead body, maybe…

This ridiculous prank was pulled in the UK by some crazy men in an attempt to gain notoriety on Google. At first glance, the photo does look like a dead body. If I hadn’t seen a description that this was a murder prank, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that it was fake. I am all for jokes, but there comes a point when you have stepped over a line, and faking a murder just to get on Google definitely crosses it. I can’t help but think one thing about these two lunatics. I automatically want to tell them to grow up and find something else to do.

13. Birds of a feather?

This photo totally creeps me out. When you come across an image of a group of people all wearing bird masks, it’s enough to make you feel a bit unsettled. During its long mission to gather photos from every street and intersection, Google managed to catch people being truly weird, but this is beyond my comprehension. For some unknown reason, several people were photographed standing on either side of a sidewalk wearing extra large pigeon masks. They are standing with their hands straight down at their sides and holding bags. It’s an image reminiscent of a horror movie poster. And I can tell you honestly, it’s an image I wish I could forget.

12. Man’s favourite date

This photo had me giggling uncontrollably. I was searching for creepy photos that were scary but I found creepy on a disturbing level. Google has managed to catch several photos of people behaving in just truly strange ways. This one caught a man walking down a busy street with a fully inflated sex doll. This bizarre act is weird on it’s own, but add that to the fact that no one seems to notice it and you have a strange Google encounter. With more and more observational capabilities of mapping and drones, it’s going to become increasingly common for people to get caught in some things that should never have left the bedroom.

11. Frightland in Delaware

This is truly a frightening image to run across when you’re searching the internet. Frightland lives up to its name. This bizarre Halloween attraction in Delaware is guarded by a silo that is painted like a grinning skull. I feel sorry for anyone driving down Route 13 on a foggy day and having that crazy looking grin suddenly loom up out of nowhere. How many people have wet their pants or almost driven off the road when this silo from a horror movie appears? It takes on an even weirder look later in the season when a Santa Claus style beard is added to it. I’m all for Halloween fun, but this takes it to an unbelievably creepy level.

10. American Pyramids

When you drive through North Dakota, the last thing you expect to find is a pyramid. But that’s exactly what you’ll find if you’re driving near Nekoma. The Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex is a cluster of military facilities there. Most states have some type of military installation or base, but not too many boast a giant pyramid as part of it. This complex supported an anti-ballistic missile launch site. Just be aware that if you are looking for directions anywhere near Nekoma or Grand Falls, you may find a truly bizarre photo showing up that will have you wondering how you ended up among the pyramids.

9. Again with the guns

This is a horrifying photo to find. During the years that Google had its cars driving around with the cameras, people certainly watched for it. But this group of men hanging out on a porch were not simply onlookers. The poor driver that took this image in Detroit, MI probably felt like they had gotten more than they ever bargained for when this group of crazy people watched one of their buddies aim a gun at the car. What makes this even worse is the fact that a few months prior to this, authorities discovered a seventeen month old baby found hidden in a closet in the same house. It seems like this driver was lucky to get out of there.

8. Someone is Summoning Satan

This sinister looking aerial footage from central Asia appears to be an inverted pentagram. It took quite a while for people to come up with an explanation for this unusual anomaly that measures roughly 1,200 feet (366 meters) in diameter. When Google caught this disturbing image in a desolate area, it was enough to creep plenty of people out. Although it was later figured out that it was the remains of a park that was laid out in a star pattern, the image of a giant pentagram appearing on nearly deserted ground could have a lot of people running for the nearest church.

7. Gas mask stroll

This is beyond creepy. We all know that Google caught numerous people out and about on their daily errands during the years that the camera cars were documenting everything. Most of these images that were caught were innocent enough ranging from walking dogs to carrying groceries, but sometimes these photos really went beyond normal to outright crazy and inexplicable. Somehow, during one of the many trips the cars took, Google managed to find a random man hiding in the trees wearing a gas mask. This creepy, anonymous guy squatting down in front of some trees is very bizarre and unnerving. I feel bad for the driver of the car that ran across this nut. Hopefully, he just kept driving.

6. The Gateway to Hell

The town of New Baltimore, New York has earned a reputation on Google as the gateway to Hell. When the cameras were mapping New Baltimore, something absolutely odd happened to all the images in the town. The evidence pointed toward corrupted files or a major glitch, but every image that came from the town came back looking warped and twisted. This ghostly appearance to every image taken makes the whole town appear to be haunted. Despite the knowledge that the appearance is technological in nature, when you run across the images, it will leave you feeling like you’re wandering into the realm of the Twilight Zone.

5. A Prisoner On the run

Sometimes Google catches someone who really would prefer not to be caught. During the mapping, Google may have inadvertently helped the police. An image of what appears to be a convict in orange correctional facility clothing running down an empty road. I’m not sure where this interesting and unnerving photo was taken, but hopefully the image was transmitted to the police department and the convict was returned to where he was supposed to be. Let’s hope that the Google driver was safe and able to continue their day in peace with no more surprise visitors. I guarantee, if I’d have been that driver, I would have done one of the fastest U-turns in history.

4. Sunken car and dead body found

A nine year old mystery was solved by employees of a Michigan funeral home. As they were decorating for Christmas, they spotted what appeared to be a sunken car in a nearby lake. When the car was retrieved, a dead body was found. This turned out to be an old and unsolved missing persons case. What is really sad about this is that the aerial image of the lake that had been captured by Google maps clearly shows the roof of the car. If someone had been paying attention to the images, the case could have been solved a lot sooner. Too bad no one noticed.

3. Drug deal gone the wrong way

Again, we have people in the wrong place at the wrong time. We know that drug dealers aren’t known for being too picky about where they handle their deals. But this time, it went wrong. In 2010, Google was mapping New York and manage to capture a scene that definitely interested the police department. Google street view managed to catch four heroin dealers in the act on a street corner. Thanks to this very damning evidence, they were promptly busted in what has to be considered one of the easiest drug busts in history. I’m not advocating drug deals, but common sense tells you to look all around you before you do something illegal.

2. A Creepy Village of dolls

This is a truly creepy and disturbing image. It made my skin crawl when I saw it and I knew this was a place I would never want to visit. Nagoro, Japan is a town that could cause nightmares to just about anyone. A lady by the name of Tsukimi Ayano returned to the town that had been slowly abandoned. In a fit of loneliness, she started making life sized dolls of the residents who had once lived there. As of 2014, there were more than 350 of these creepy looking dolls. Each doll is placed in a location where they would have been seen. Although I can see the loving idea of remembering the ones who are gone, the village itself is enough to make people twitch.

1. The Great Escape

This one is beyond description. In 2008, Google street view caught an absolutely bizarre scene of someone attempting to escape out a window of a house in Pittsburgh, PA. No one is sure why this person was scaling the side of a three story building on a bunch of inefficiently tied sheets, but Google definitely gave us a good puzzle. Hopefully, this person was not caught in the act of burglary or breaking and entering. But if he was, I’d like to hope that Google’s perfectly timed photo helped him get caught. All I can say is that it’s probably not a good idea to be climbing up or down the sides of buildings in broad daylight. Chances are you are going to get caught or give someone a heart attack when they spot you.

As you can see, it’s probably a good idea to keep your behaviour lawful and respectable in public. I can’t tell you not to do things. But I can remind you that you never know who’s watching or what you might be caught doing. You might become one of those people that become immortalized in the great hallways of Google.