Two 19-year-old men have been charged with filing a false report after they confessed to racing through a New York village, with one of them shouting from a car window claiming he had been kidnapped.
Adrian M. Vandeusen and Bryan R. Patrick acknowledged that their actions were part of a prank, laughing and joking as they shouted from the car’s open windows. They also mentioned needing to pause multiple times because their throats were sore from all the yelling, according to the Ilion Police Department.
The event started during the early hours of Tuesday in the villages of Ilion and Herkimer when Ilion police were alerted about a fast-moving car with someone inside screaming for help. The police began an investigation right away, obtaining surveillance footage of the incident that later moved into Herkimer.
Finally, on Friday, police announced they had identified the suspects involved in what they called the “kidnapping prank” and arrested them. Both suspects were charged with false reporting, and Patrick, the driver of the vehicle, was also charged with traffic violations.
“The Village of Ilion Police Department (and other law enforcement agencies) consider reports of this nature extremely serious,” Police Chief Laurie Ann DeVaul said in a statement. “Although individuals may believe they’re only fooling around or committing a prank like something viewed on social media, these actions are nothing to joke about.”
DeVaul noted the incident incited alarm and fear in the public and caused law enforcement to devote serious time and effort into investigating what appeared to be a serious crime.
