Soldier arrested after going AWOL to stalk “soulmate” TikTok star

Floridian Police arrested a soldier for aggravated stalking after he allegedly followed a TikTok star from California across the country to Florida.

The victim, whose identity has not been revealed, told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies that Ky Van Cai, 30, had been stalking her for several months before she’d called the police after finding Cai outside her home, Law & Crime reported.

At 10.40 pm on May 23, Cai had been “ringing the doorbell continually for two minutes”, the affidavit reads, and as the police arrived, they found Cai still outside her home. When asked what he was doing, Cai said he wanted to greet the woman and claimed he had a “personal” relationship with her. 

This is also when Cai revealed that he was in the army when he’d found the woman’s TikTok account, which boasted around 1.5 million followers at the time.

“He began to have visions about her and believed they were soulmates,” the affidavit said. “He even went AWOL from the Army to find her before being discharged from the Army.”

The police soon found out that the soldier knew the victim’s first and last name, even though she only used her first name on her social media accounts. Cai also allegedly believed the woman was “directing her social media posts toward him.”

After further questioning, deputies soon found out that Cai was in the Army in North Carolina and had a driver’s license that said he was from Seattle. However, he reportedly had no ties to California or Florida, where the victim spent her time.

The TikTok star told officers that Cai had been stalking her since January using various social media accounts, and how he had gone to take photos at the same spots she’d posted from online.

Some examples she gave was she had been taking photos of herself at Table Rock Beach in Laguna Beach, California, in late January. Days later, Cai reportedly took pictures on the same beach. A few months later, on May 5, she took pictures at a beach on Bay Drive Park in Palm Coast, which is about a mile from her home in Florida. About five hours later, Cai showed up at the same beach, she told deputies.

One day later, on May 6, Cai allegedly showed up at her home, which made her family call the deputies who were dispatched to the home but could not find him.

At the time, deputies noted the victim was “shaking” when she gave them her statement and it was “clear” Cai made her fear for her safety.

Cops later arrested Cai on a charge of aggravated stalking and took him to the Flagler County Jail where he has since posted a $1,000 bond. He has a court date scheduled for June 17.