Ms. Pearl Hegman, 59, of Cleveland, Georgia, has worked the 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. overnight shift at the RaceTrac store at 2040 South Main Street, White County, Georgia, five nights a week, since September 2014. She has, per her own account, seen "basically everything." She was, at 2:47 a.m. Tuesday, January 27, 2026, behind the counter near the register, restocking lottery tickets, when a silver 2025 Cadillac Escalade pulled into the parking space nearest the front entrance.

The Escalade was driven, per Ms. Hegman's subsequent account, by Mr. Justin Trudeau, 54, the former Prime Minister of Canada (2015-2025). Its front-passenger-seat occupant was Ms. Katy Perry, 41, the American recording artist. The two had, per wide international press coverage over the previous eleven days, begun dating in early-to-mid January 2026, following their first publicly observed encounter at a philanthropic event in Montreal on January 15. The romance had been covered extensively.

The Escalade bore Ontario license plates.

The entry

Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Perry entered the RaceTrac at 2:48 a.m. Per the store's interior security footage, which I reviewed Wednesday afternoon with the permission of the store's assistant manager Ms. Miriam Kratz, Mr. Trudeau was wearing a charcoal-gray wool overcoat, dark slacks, and brown leather boots. Ms. Perry was wearing a knee-length navy down coat, black leggings, and white sneakers. Neither wore a hat. Neither wore glasses. Neither appeared to attempt any disguise or misdirection regarding their identities.

Ms. Perry, per the footage, walked directly to the convenience section of the store, located in aisle three. Mr. Trudeau approached the counter. He greeted Ms. Hegman with what Ms. Hegman later characterized to me as "a very professional handshake — not a wave, a handshake."

Ms. Hegman said, per her own recollection, "Good morning."

Mr. Trudeau said: "Good morning."

Ms. Hegman then said, per her own recollection: "Mr. Trudeau."

Mr. Trudeau said: "That is correct. I am sorry for the hour."

Ms. Hegman said: "That is fine."

The purchase

Ms. Perry returned to the counter at 2:51 a.m. with two items: a one-gallon jug of Rain-X "Latitude" premium all-season washer fluid (price: $4.79) and a bunch of bananas (price, by weight: $0.72 for approximately two bananas, which Ms. Perry had detached from the bunch by twisting them at their stems; the remainder of the bunch was returned to the display).

Mr. Trudeau paid, in U.S. currency, $5.51 plus sales tax ($0.39), total $5.90, from a black leather wallet. The transaction receipt, which Ms. Hegman retained at my request, documents the payment. The payment was made in cash.

Ms. Perry carried the bananas. Mr. Trudeau carried the windshield fluid.

The exit

At 2:54 a.m. Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Perry exited the store. Per the exterior security footage, Mr. Trudeau walked to the Escalade and opened the rear-passenger-side cargo door. He placed the jug of windshield fluid in the cargo area. He closed the door. He walked around the front of the vehicle. He opened the driver's door.

Ms. Perry had, by this point, entered the passenger side.

The Escalade reversed out of the parking space at 2:55 a.m. It turned left onto South Main Street, heading south — toward Helen — at 2:55:34 a.m. It was, within approximately 90 seconds, out of the camera's field of view.

The observation

Ms. Hegman, asked what she made of the encounter, said: "Confusing but efficient. They were very polite. Ms. Perry ate a banana before they got to the car, which I was able to observe through the window. Mr. Trudeau did not eat a banana. He may have been, at that point, saving his banana for the road."

Asked whether she had any theory about why the former Prime Minister of Canada and the American recording artist Katy Perry were driving in a rental Escalade with Ontario plates through Cleveland, Georgia, at 2:47 a.m. on a January Tuesday, Ms. Hegman said: "I do not."

She added: "It is none of my business."

The Canadian Press Gallery's publicly listed schedule for Mr. Trudeau's January 2026 activities does not include any entry for Cleveland, Georgia, or for the State of Georgia at any point in January. Ms. Perry's publicly listed tour and appearance schedule similarly includes no Georgia entry.

Neither representative's office returned requests for comment.