by Newark, New Jersey – Police officers in Newark, New Jersey, were thrown into chaos this week after a series of viral photos showing wild monkeys allegedly running loose in the city sent residents into a panic. But after a full-scale search by local authorities, it turned out the entire incident was nothing more than an AI-generated hoax.
The now-viral images appeared to show scores of monkeys rummaging through dumpsters and wandering around the Georgia King Village apartment complex in Newark. Alarmed residents began flooding local police and animal control hotlines with calls, prompting officers to launch a frantic search on Thursday morning, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, as reported by PIX11.
“Officers Have Not Located Any Monkeys”
Police and animal control teams combed the area, searching both the apartment complex and surrounding neighborhoods — but they found no trace of the supposed primates.
“Officers have not located any monkeys,” Miranda told the outlet, confirming that animal control had also received similar calls a day earlier.
After reviewing the images, investigators quickly realized that the monkey photos circulating online appeared to be AI-generated, leading officials to label the entire episode a hoax.
“Any photos or videos posted on social media regarding this incident are likely AI-generated,” Miranda added.
Residents Shocked and Frustrated
Local residents were left baffled — and frustrated — by the bizarre incident.
Hariette Guity, who works near the area where the monkeys were supposedly spotted, said she got a worried call from a coworker telling her to “be careful.”
“Use AI for the right things, not something like this,” Guity told News12 New Jersey. “Because when something really does happen, officers are going to take their time coming out because it could possibly be AI, something that’s false.”
Richard Chapman, another Newark resident, also slammed the stunt, saying it wasted valuable police time and resources.
“Having the police come over here for something that’s not really real, it’s wasting their time when they could be doing other things,” he said. “We need to use AI the right way and not play around too much or make things bigger than what they are.”
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Police Warn of Dangerous AI Pranks
The “monkey hoax” isn’t the first AI-related prank to cause problems for law enforcement. Police across the country have recently warned about a disturbing TikTok trend known as the “AI Homeless Man Prank.”
In that viral challenge, users create AI-generated images of a “homeless man” allegedly standing inside their homes or outside their windows, then call police to report it as real. Officials say the trend wastes emergency resources and could delay responses to actual crimes or emergencies.
Experts warn that AI-generated misinformation like this can have real-world consequences — from spreading panic to diverting first responders from legitimate cases.
Digital Hoaxes Are Getting Harder to Spot
As AI tools become more sophisticated, fake images and videos are increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality. Law enforcement agencies are now urging the public to verify content before sharing it and to be cautious about believing everything seen online.
Authorities say the investigation into the source of the Newark monkey hoax is ongoing.
For now, though, Newark officials have confirmed one thing — no monkeys were ever on the loose. Just a digital prank gone too far.
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