Homeless Man or Prison Escapee?

Nothing really interesting to speak of on the way to school today, but the journey back was quite an adventure. I usually finish school at 5:30 PM today, but stayed late to finish up a project so I was only heading home around 9:30 PM. Surprisingly, only 3 other people were on the bus with me; two younger girls and a frail looking middle aged man that looked like he was either homeless or had just escaped from prison. Sitting in the far back, I could see every seat on the bus: the girls were sitting in front of me on the left, and the other man was near the front. A few stops later, the man sulked toward the rear of the bus and sat across from the girls. He began asking them a strange series of questions, and it seemed to me like the overwhelming majority of his questions were very personal; mostly asking them about where they were going, where they lived and if they were meeting any other people. Finally, the girls pulled the cord to signal for their bus stop and walked toward the front of the bus in order to get off. As the bus stopped, the man gathered up his bag and zipped it shut, quickly exiting the bus after them. I noticed some rope and tape in his bag, and also something that looked like a knife or maybe a machete. I looked out the window but he was already deep in the darkness catching up to the girls, so I couldn't ask him about it.