Somewhere out there, you have a twin.

Sometimes we might hear: "You look exactly like...(fill in the blank).

But, somehow, sometimes we actually cross paths with our Doppleganger.

There's a strange feeling that accompanies meeting this stranger somehow robs us of our individuality.

They make us feel as though we're no longer unique.

If you've ever come face-to-face with someone who is your spitting image it is truly something incredible.

It's like seeing an alien and we approach with caution.

Is it alive?

Is it dangerous?

True Crime

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This story out of Kansas made news around the world with a headline that read:

Kansas Inmate Freed After Doppelganger Found 17 Years Later

Richard Jones spent 17 years in prison for a crime he has always insisted he didn't commit. Then attorneys discovered he had a doppelganger: a man who looked nearly identical to him and had a similar name.

On Thursday, Jones was released from prison after witnesses said they could barely tell the difference between the two men and no longer thought Jones was guilty

In 2015, other inmates at Lansing Correctional Facility began telling Jones there was another inmate who looked like his twin. On top of being doppelgangers, the other man had the similar-sounding name of Rick.

(Jones' first name is Richard)

Jones contacted attorneys at the Midwest Innocence Project and the Project for Innocence at the University of Kansas Law School. They tracked down Ricky Amos, the lookalike who lived on the Kansas side of town.

In booking photos, the two men looked nearly identical, with the same facial hair and cornrows. They are both close to 6-feet-tall and weigh around 200 pounds. The two men are also roughly the same age: Jones was born in 1976, while Kansas corrections records show Ricky Lee Amos was born in 1977.

"When I saw that picture, it just made sense to me," Jones said. "They say you can’t see the picture clearly if you [are] in it, but if I was outside this picture I would have seen the same thing."

Source: NBC

This is an incredible story and has a happy ending for the Jones family. It got me thinking about other doppleganger stories like the two strangers that met on an airplane who look like identical twins.

Source: BBC

These Story got me thinking about the time I met my own doppleganger while traveling in Central America. I came in contact with my double while staying at a hostel in San Jose, Costa Rica (a fantastic country btw).

My friend and I were traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and were only staying a night at the hostel. The size of the multi-floored hostel was impressive with a yard, large kitchen, sprawling yard, and several rec rooms. The order of the day was: have first hot shower in weeks, get laundry sorted, and move on in the morning.

While waiting for our laundry to dry my friend decided to check out the rec room as it was 'movie night'. I told him I'd join him after i finished having a hot shower, which never happened as all the hot water had been used up. I had to settle for a another cold one, oh well.

An hour or so later, my friend returned to the laundry area looking frazzled.

He said, "How did you get here before me?"

"What are you talking about, I've been here the whole time."

He looked confused, then said "Then I just spent an hour watching a movie with your doppleganger."

"Get the fuck out!", I said.

In the days that lead up to this moment we had been joking about what we would do if we met our doppleganger and we'd agreed that "the doppleganger must die!". Of course, we were only messing about never actually expecting to meet one.

We slid quietly into the dark rec room where a dozen or so travelers had gathered to take in a french film.

We found a seat on the floor and my friend gestured towards a figure sitting off to the side in a desk chair. I discretely pointed at the guy and looked at my friend for confirmation and he nodded.

In the flickering blue light i started to make out a shape and what I saw was shocking. The way this man sat in the chair with one leg folded over the other, an arm folder across his midsection and with his other hand cradling his chin was EXACTLY the way i sit. Holy Shit!

At this point the guy looked in our direction briefly as he could probably see us staring at him. I couldn't quite make out his features but I HAD to see. The movie ended quickly and people started shuffling out the door. The man in the chair looked at us as we kept staring at him and must of been uncomfortable as he gave a quick nod and made a dash for the door. before we could say anything.

"He's getting away!"

I must confess that I was wearing a baseball cap during this whole time so he didn't have a clue as to why we were so interested in him. In those few seconds before he disappeared I saw he looked just like me. Mind blown. My friend told me they were sitting next to each other and he had made comments about the movie to my doppleganger who didn't respond. He was convinced it was me.

The next morning, as we were getting ready to check out we ran into him again, this time in the light of day. We locked eyes briefly and I saw the recognition on his face, an incredulous look. The similarities were striking, except for the fact that I was about a foot taller than him. In that moment, I decided he should live. He was also a human being.