What began as a quiet, unsettling sensation soon turned into one of the most whispered-about mysteries on the set of Tracker, a story that crew members still lower their voices to discuss. During filming in remote mountain regions far from cell service, towns, or even paved roads, Justin Hartley reportedly experienced something that shook not just him, but everyone working nearby: the repeated feeling that someone was standing directly behind him when no one was there. At first, it was easy to brush off as exhaustion. Long days, unpredictable weather, and physically demanding shoots are nothing new to Hartley, especially on a show that thrives on isolation and survival themes. But as days turned into weeks, the sensation didn’t fade. It intensified. According to multiple people present during those shoots, Hartley would occasionally stop mid-conversation, turn around abruptly, and scan the space behind him with visible confusion. There was never anyone there. No crew member. No extra. No sound. Just empty air and the cold stillness of the mountains.
Those who witnessed the moments say they were subtle but unmistakable. Hartley didn’t panic or dramatize it. Instead, he would pause, frown slightly, and ask quietly if someone had been standing behind him a second earlier. Each time, the answer was no. At first, crew members laughed it off, attributing it to fatigue or tricks of the light filtering through dense trees and shifting fog. But the jokes stopped after the third and fourth time it happened, especially when Hartley began describing the same detail over and over again: the sensation wasn’t vague. He didn’t feel watched from afar. He felt someone standing close, close enough to register presence, breath, weight. One crew member later described it as “the kind of pause that makes the air feel thicker,” saying that even people nearby felt unsettled when Hartley turned around and found nothing there.
The filming location itself didn’t help ease nerves. The mountains chosen for Tracker were deliberately remote, chosen for their raw, untouched look. Locals rarely ventured deep into the area, and some production assistants quietly mentioned that nearby towns had their own folklore about disappearances, hikers hearing voices, and people getting lost despite knowing the terrain. No official stories were shared with the cast, but word travels fast on a film set, especially when something strange starts aligning with old rumors. As Hartley continued to experience the sensation, crew members began swapping stories among themselves, noticing patterns they hadn’t paid attention to before. Equipment malfunctioned without explanation. Batteries drained unusually fast. Radios crackled with static even when there was no interference. None of it was dramatic enough to shut down production, but together, it created an atmosphere that felt off.
Hartley himself reportedly tried to remain grounded. Sources say he joked about it at first, calling it his “mountain paranoia” and blaming the altitude. But privately, he seemed less certain. During one late shoot near dusk, Hartley allegedly asked for a brief pause after again feeling someone behind him, this time describing the presence as “still” and “waiting.” A nearby crew member later said the way he phrased it sent a chill through the group, because it didn’t sound like imagination anymore. It sounded like certainty. From that point on, some crew members avoided standing directly behind Hartley unless absolutely necessary, half out of respect and half out of superstition. No one wanted to be the person he turned around and didn’t see.
As filming continued, the experiences reportedly became more frequent during scenes shot deeper in the wilderness, far from base camp. Hartley would feel fine during indoor setups or scenes near vehicles, but once the crew moved farther into the mountains, the sensation returned. Some insiders began whispering about a “set curse,” a term no one dared use out loud near producers but one that quietly spread anyway. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. Tracker is a show about disappearances, unseen threats, and the thin line between civilization and the wild. Now, something unseen seemed to be following the production itself. One crew member later said, half-joking and half-serious, that it felt like the mountains didn’t like being watched so closely.
What made the situation more unsettling was Hartley’s consistency. He didn’t embellish the story or change details. Every time he mentioned it, the description was the same. Same distance. Same direction. Same feeling. A presence directly behind him, just outside his field of vision. Psychologically, that repetition made it harder to dismiss. Even skeptics on set admitted that if someone were imagining things, the details would shift. These didn’t. They stayed locked in place, like a mark on the back of his awareness. Some crew members began quietly crossing themselves or carrying small personal charms during shoots, not because they fully believed anything supernatural was happening, but because being in the mountains with no explanation for that level of unease messes with the mind.
Eventually, the production subtly adjusted without acknowledging why. Hartley was rarely left standing alone during outdoor setups. Crew members stayed closer. Lighting teams avoided leaving him isolated between takes. No one said it was because of the “stranger,” but everyone understood. According to one insider, Hartley appreciated the unspoken support but never asked for special treatment. He continued filming, continued delivering intense performances, and never allowed the situation to derail production. Still, the feeling reportedly didn’t fully disappear until the crew wrapped those specific mountain locations and moved back toward more populated areas. When that happened, Hartley allegedly mentioned, almost casually, that the sensation had stopped. Just like that. No buildup. No explanation. It was gone.
Today, the story exists in that uncomfortable space between coincidence and something people would rather not name. There is no official statement. No interviews. No confirmation from CBS. Hartley himself has never spoken publicly about it. But on the set of Tracker, among those who were there, the story hasn’t faded. It’s told quietly, usually late at night, usually prefaced with “this might sound crazy.” And yet, everyone who tells it says the same thing. Whatever Justin Hartley felt standing behind him in those mountains felt real enough to change how an entire crew moved, worked, and breathed for weeks. Whether it was exhaustion, environment, or something no one can explain, the question still lingers like mist between trees: when Hartley turned around and saw no one there, was the stranger ever truly gone?
