BROAD RIPPLE — A knock on the door in the middle of the night is probably enough to make your stomach drop. That's exactly what several people living in Broad Ripple said happened to them.

It all started with a knock on the door, but this was no afternoon caller. Each person we interviewed said the visitor came by well after midnight.

The man had a story saying he needed help to take care of a sick family member.

"It was kind of a weird story to be woken up to at 2:30 in the morning," Jimmy Hurley said. "His grandfather had just had a stroke and he needed help getting to where his grandfather was."

Several others reported similar experiences on social media.

"He told me that he just needed help getting there," Hurley said. "He didn't really ask for a ride or anything specific."

Hurley was shown pictures another man took and said it was the same person. He went to see if he had any cash, but after seeing he didn't have any, Hurley asked the man to leave, which he did.

"The more and more I thought about it, the more it didn't seem right," Hurley said. It's just kind of a weird coincidence, and I don't know if he was just looking for a free ride or looking for free money."

Hurley's fiance shared the experience on social media, and that's when they learned they weren't alone.

"Not only us, but our neighbors down the street," Hurley said.

A spokeswoman from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said residents shouldn't answer the door for anyone they don't know. Hurley said he didn't know if it was a true emergency, which was why he opened the door, but he said he wouldn't answer it again.

Police said it is helpful for an investigation if people have a surveillance system or another way to get a description of the person.

"Hopefully, nobody else comes by at 2:30 in the morning asking me for help," Hurley said.

Residents can call the police to have an officer check out the situation if someone comes to their door and they don't feel comfortable.