I did it this way back in 2007 when I didn't even have a smartphone, you can develop an eye for it at the ground level as well. I camped 8 nights without paying once and never had an issue. The only time I had to resort to help was in suburban Cleveland area, it got dark and it was too built up to stealth camp anywhere, so I ended up stopping at the fire station and they let me camp in their yard. They are there all night anyway so they are usually fine with it.
The weirdest spot was in another suburban area, I camped behind a row of shrubs next to a cellphone tower installation haha. Wasn't the best setup but places like that usually don't get any traffic until business hours, so as long as you're in late and out early, you're fine.
Were you heading east through Cleveland and did some rando try to give you directions to a spot in Shaker Lakes metro park that involved jumping a guardrail near a bridge? If so, that was me; sorry I didn't offer up a couch at my place; my roommates wouldn't have been cool with it.
Hah, honestly I have no idea, but that does sound like something that could have happened. It's funny how memory fades and we are only left with snippets as we get older.