© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bay Village police officer wrangling giant inflatable pumpkin goes viral ahead of Halloween

A video of a police officer wrangling a giant inflatable pumpkin off the road in Bay Village has delighted audiences across social media, getting millions of views. Oct. 14, 2024
Bay Village Police Department
A video of a police officer wrangling a giant inflatable pumpkin off the road in Bay Village has delighted audiences across social media, getting millions of views. Oct. 14, 2024

Ghosts, goblins and vampires might not be taking to the streets this Halloween, but a giant inflatable pumpkin has already made an appearance in Bay Village, floating down the street on a dark and stormy night.

The city recently made national and international news, with news stations such as ABC, CNN and BBC all reporting on dash camera footage released Oct. 14 by the city's police department that shows officers wrangling a giant inflatable Halloween decoration that apparently broke loose and flew through the street, blocking traffic near the intersection of Wolf and Saddler roads.

This fun and lighthearted moment between officers and the inflatable has inspired funny memes and TikTok videos, some of which have gotten millions of likes.

Other social media users added spooky Halloween music to the background of the video delighting in police’s response to the inflatable pumpkin which required backup to subdue.

A responding officer tried to stop the runaway pumpkin before the decoration started to move again in the wind, swallowing him, the video shows. The officer then had to maneuver his way out of the pumpkin and wait for others to arrive.

Backup arrived shortly after and helped wrestle the giant pumpkin out of the road, the video shows. After its small adventure, the pumpkin was returned to its owner.

“Luckily, no officers (or pumpkins) were harmed during the event," the police department said.

Corrected: October 28, 2024 at 7:31 AM EDT
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the BBC.
Des Torres is an intern at Ideastream Public Media.