Newark Police Searched for ‘Wild Monkeys’ on the Loose — They Were AI-Generated
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Separate Reports in Two Days
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Real Monkeys Found
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Hours
Spent Searching
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Fooled Index
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AI-GENERATED — No monkeys were ever there. Police searched for hours and found nothing.
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On October 23, 2025, Newark's public safety department received a 311 tip reporting wild monkeys near the dumpsters at the Georgia King Village apartment complex, accompanied by a photo showing what looked like a monkey climbing a wall and others rooting through trash. It wasn't the first report that week either; animal control had received a similar call about monkeys roaming Newark's streets the day before. Police and animal control searched the area for hours.
They found nothing. "Officers have not located any monkeys," Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda told WPIX-TV, adding, "Any photos or videos posted on social media regarding this incident are likely AI-generated." Officials preliminarily determined the whole thing was a hoax, and the investigation into who created and spread the images remained open, since creating a false public alarm is a crime under New Jersey law.
Residents weren't thrilled once they learned the truth. "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," Newark resident Richard Chapman told News 12. Another resident, Harriette Guity, echoed the concern about real emergencies getting delayed: "When something really does happen, officers are going to take their time coming out because it could possibly be AI."
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An extensive search turned up nothing. Police and animal control searched the reported area for hours and found no trace of any monkeys, in a location with no wildlife history to explain it.
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Officials said so directly. Newark's own public safety director stated plainly that the circulating images were likely AI-generated, based on the department's own investigation.
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It happened twice in two days. A near-identical false report came in the day before the main incident, suggesting either a coordinated hoax or a viral copycat effect.
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It's being treated as a real crime, not just a joke. Creating a false public alarm is illegal under New Jersey law, and the investigation into who made the images stayed open.
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🚨 Likely AI-Generated
No monkeys were ever loose in Newark. The viral photos that sent police and animal control searching for hours were likely AI-generated, according to the city's own public safety director, and residents are now dealing with the real consequence: slower response times if an actual emergency happens next.
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The ‘AI Homeless Man Prank’ Has Led to Real Arrests, Not Just Real 911 Calls
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A viral trend on TikTok has people using AI to generate a convincing photo or video of an unfamiliar man appearing inside someone's home, then sending it to a roommate or family member to provoke a panicked reaction and, often, a call to 911. Police departments in at least four states, including Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin, have issued public warnings, saying the prank ties up emergency responders and creates real danger if officers arrive believing they're confronting an actual intruder. In Maryland, a woman was arrested and charged after sending her husband a fake AI photo of a man lying on their couch, prompting him to call police; two juveniles in Wisconsin were also criminally charged over similar incidents. Housing advocates have separately criticized the trend for relying on the stereotype that homeless people are dangerous intruders, calling it harmful on top of the resources it wastes.
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YOUR REALITY DETECTOR TOOLKIT |
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Today’s Skill: Ask Whether the Search Matches the Evidence
Sometimes the absence of proof, after a genuine effort to find it, is the clearest evidence of all.
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Ask whether the search matches the evidence
Police searched for hours and found nothing. When an extensive, genuine search turns up no trace of what was reported, that absence is itself meaningful information.
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Notice when the same hoax repeats in a short window
Two nearly identical reports landed within two days of each other. A pattern like that often points to a viral copycat, not two unrelated real events.
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Remember hoaxes have real costs, even when no one's physically hurt
Wasted police hours mean slower response if a real emergency happens next. A "harmless" fake can still have serious downstream consequences.
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