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As pranks go, the forgotten baby on the car roof is particularly cruel because of the scare it gives people.
That's why police weren't laughing when someone drove a Tesla with New York plates through the parking lots of all three major malls in Paramus on Monday with looked like a genuine baby in a car seat on the roof.
Not only is the stunt callous, they said. Depending on who the punk'd bystanders are, the gagman could end up getting thrown a beatin'.
"Although incidents of baby car seats left in parking lots and on vehicles has occurred in our shopping malls, this looks like pranksters video-recording bystanders' reactions for social media," Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said after the late-afternoon stunt on July 3.
"This prank is extremely hazardous to the motoring public and dangerous to the prankster depending on the reaction he gets from the bystander-turned-do-gooder," the chief said.
This video was posted to TikTok:
Borough police were met by security at the Paramus Park Mall who told them the "baby" seen car surfing on the Tesla was just a doll -- similar to those posted above in screen grabs from various YouTube videos over the years.
As the officer was taking that report, police began getting calls from citizens at the Bergen Town Center and Garden State Plaza, Guidetti sai.
Yep: same Tesla.
Authorities hadn't gotten any surveillance images as of early Monday evening, but they were still looking. They were also checking social media to see what turns up.
Did you get a photo or video of the "forgotten baby" stunt in Paramus on Monday? If so, please text it to (201) 943-2794. Or email it: jdemarco@dailyvoice.com. Or PM Jerry DeMarco on Facebook. Thanks so much.
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