Surveillance camera catches bizarre moment in Wisconsin city. Even cops are mystified

Something strange is going on after dark in western Wisconsin, at least judging from a surveillance photo shared by police.

The image shows someone in the town of Eau Claire with a cone for a head. He or she appears to be trying to open a car door — something that is likely tougher to do while wearing a cone.

Eau Claire Police shared the photo March 30 on Facebook, with an admission that officers are stumped. The city is 90 miles east of Minneapolis.

“Our public space cameras help us resolve a lot of incidents daily,” the Eau Claire police wrote in a Facebook post. “That being said, we sometimes capture odd occurrences.”

The post didn’t include reports of a car theft or anyone being victimized by someone with a cone for a head.

It was posted two days too early to qualify as an April Fool’s Day joke, so the 2,000 reactions and comments have taken the department at its word that this is a real thing.

Explanations from commenters have included assertions the person is French, part of a gang or “a traffic wizard.”

“Looks very familiar,” Debbie Baier said.

“Makes me want to apply to video surveillance position. Do you have a popcorn machine?” Nick Nosker said.

“Deep down inside we all feel this to some degree,” Raychel Berg wrote.

This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Surveillance camera catches bizarre moment in Wisconsin city. Even cops are mystified."