Police in Ohio tussled with an unlikely runaway this week after catching sight of a giant inflatable Halloween decoration rolling down the road.
Body camera footage from the Parma Heights Police Department in northeast Ohio shows an officer struggling to stop a blow-up pumpkin as his colleague audibly giggles.
As the officer wrestles with the inflatable, he can be heard saying that he tried to catch up with the decoration earlier in the day, but that it kept escaping his grasp.
“When I went to grab it over here, it just took off,” he says. “I was pretty much in pursuit.”
Later in the video, the runaway gourd blows on top of the officer and up onto the hood of the car, where his colleague with the body camera is sitting.
After further struggles to deflate the decoration, multiple officers stuffed it into the police vehicle.
“I’ve never seen that before,” one can be heard saying of the Halloween inflatable packed tight in the back seat.
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Nonetheless, hot off the heels of a strenuous chase, the department made light of the situation in an update on Facebook on Wednesday.
“In the early hours this morning, Parma Heights officers found themselves in hot pursuit of a giant inflatable pumpkin rolling through town,” it said.
“The pumpkin was quickly detained and returned to its owner without incident.”
“Just another example of our officers going above and beyond, even for seasonal décor!”
Other local police departments chimed in with their thoughts on Parma Heights Police’s handling of the spirited fugitive.
“Some departments would have Squashed this story,” the nearby Bedford Police wrote. “Glad to see you guys rolled it out.”
Others on Facebook joked that the police should have given the pumpkin a speeding ticket.
“Probably gave a speeding ticket to the pumpkin and arrested the homeowners,” one person wrote.
“Did anyone call out the speed? What did the Great Pumpkin have to say for itself?” someone else commented.
Earlier this week, a couple in South Carolina went viral after their Halloween decorations, which simulate a house fire, led people to call the fire department, despite the occupants’ messages assuring it was fake.
“Our house will be on fire (not real fire) as Halloween decorations every night from 8-10 PM between now and October 31. Please do not call the fire department again,” Riggins Peden warned on Facebook on Oct. 3.
Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden’s Halloween decorations mimicking a house fire.
Amanda Riggins Peden / Facebook
Known locally for going all out on spooky season decor, Amanda Riggins Peden and Sam Lee have designed their home’s frightening accents for the last few years to mimic a roaring house fire, using smoke machines and an elaborate light show to create the effect.
— With files from the Associated Press
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