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When Petty Revenge Backfires: How a Scratched Car and a Nest Cam Sparked Neighborhood Drama

There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from a perfectly executed act of petty revenge. You know, the kind that doesn’t cross any legal boundaries but still delivers a delicious dose of justice. But as Reddit user u/brokenbananabean recently discovered, sometimes karma has its own plans—and the universe can be just as petty as we are.

Imagine it: Your car, lovingly parked outside your home, keeps getting mysteriously scratched. You suspect the culprit, but you can’t quite catch them in the act. Then, on a snowy winter’s day, fate—and a well-placed Nest camera—serve up the perfect opportunity for payback. Or so you hope...

Scratches, Snow, and Surveillance: The Setup

Our story begins in a neighborhood plagued by neighborly neglect and a severe lack of snow shoveling. For five months, u/brokenbananabean’s car has been on the receiving end of repeated keying and scratching. The prime suspect? The neighbor’s daughter, who, plot twist, is actually in her 40s or 50s. (Let’s be honest—midlife keying is a whole new level of drama.)

The winter weather only adds fuel to the fire. With nobody shoveling sidewalks or driveways, cars are getting stuck left and right. But u/brokenbananabean isn’t just a victim—oh no. Armed with a Nest camera and an eye for justice, our hero is ready to defend their parking lot honor.

When Petty Meets Petty: The Accident

Enter the neighbor’s daughter, fresh off a scratching spree and hopelessly stuck in the snow. For five long minutes, she struggles to escape her icy prison, while our narrator watches, phone in hand, recording every slip and slide. And then, the moment of truth: she hits not one, but two cars—scratching up the back of the vehicle in front of her and bumping the front of another as she skids out. As if one act of fender-bending wasn’t enough, she returns the next day and repeats the performance. Twice the drama, twice the evidence.

But here’s where the plot thickens: the owner of the freshly battered car has yet to discover the damage. Three days pass, and the car sits untouched, while u/brokenbananabean’s note—complete with their phone number and the promise of video proof—waits patiently. The anticipation is palpable. Will justice finally be served? Will revenge be sweet or just... snowed in?

The Art of Petty Revenge (and Its Limits)

There’s something universally relatable about wanting to get back at someone who’s wronged you, especially when your hands are tied. Unable to prove the scratches on their own car, u/brokenbananabean does the next best thing: offers up video evidence of the neighbor’s daughter’s vehicular misadventures to the true victim.

It’s a classic case of “you scratch my car, I snitch you hitting people.” But as much as we crave closure, sometimes the universe just shrugs and moves on. The car owner finally moves his vehicle, but—plot twist—never calls, texts, or follows up. Did he not care? Did he not see the note? Or is he simply the most chill person on the block? In the world of petty revenge, not every act ends with a satisfying “gotcha!”

Lessons from the Neighborhood Soap Opera

So, what can we learn from this frosty tale of pettiness, patience, and parking wars?

  • Karma doesn’t always play by your rules. Sometimes, the people you want to see get their comeuppance just skate by (or, in this case, slide out of a parking spot).
  • Surveillance is a double-edged sword. Sure, it can help you catch a culprit in the act, but it can also leave you hanging if no one picks up the clues you drop.
  • Neighborhood drama never gets old. Whether it’s snow, scratched paint, or secret camera footage, there’s always a little bit of reality TV playing out right outside our doors.

Did Petty Win the Day?

In the end, u/brokenbananabean didn’t get the big, satisfying finale they hoped for. But they did get a story worth sharing—a tale of snow, scratches, and the enduring power of a well-timed Nest cam. And if the true owner of that car ever does reach out, well, there’s still time for one last act of petty justice.

Have you ever plotted (or witnessed) a perfectly petty revenge? Do you have a neighborhood drama story that rivals this one? Drop your tales in the comments below—because if there’s one thing we all love, it’s a little bit of karma served cold.

Ready to spill your own stories of neighborly drama or petty payback? Hit the comments and share your wildest (or weirdest) tales!

Original Reddit Post: You scratch my car I snitch you hitting people