'AI Homeless Man' TikTok prank sparks parental panic, juvenile arrests
A viral TikTok trend known as the "AI Homeless Man Prank" is spurring parental panic and prompting police response across the country, as users create AI-altered images showing a homeless man inside their homes.
In one video with more than 2 million views, a distraught mother told her son to "let them eat and let them go" after he texted her several fake images of homeless men in throughout their home.
"This is madness! What is this?" the mother said in a voice message.
The user, Nnamdi Anunobi, snapped an image of his mother’s bed with the fake homeless man dressed in torn, stained clothing, lying down for a nap.
"He’s friendly sleeping on your bed," Anunobi said in the clip. "He has been marinating on your bed for two hours."
"In my room? What is this? What are you doing? My own room!" his mother screamed back. "You’ve gone too far. I will not take this," she said.
Anunobi took the prank up a notch, telling his mother the AI-generated homeless man claimed her kitchen materials were from his "Auntie’s cousin’s side."
"I don’t know these people. I don’t know them. I don’t know the cousin, I don’t know the Auntie," she said firmly.
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What started as a viral joke is now taking a criminal turn, with police departments across the nation issuing statements urging the public to stop the "stupid and potentially dangerous" trend.
Two Ohio juveniles were criminally charged for their involvement in the "AI Homeless Man Prank," according to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
The Yonkers Police Department’s statement said "we like to laugh" but warned that manufacturing fake emergencies crosses a line and could lead to "serious consequences."
A Public Service Announcement from the City of Salem Police Department warned pranksters to read state law, noting the "bad taste" and harm of the viral trend.
"This prank dehumanizes the homeless, causes the distressed recipient to panic and wastes police resources," the statement read.
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Authorities warn that 911 calls linked to the prank are being taken seriously — draining police resources and averting from real emergencies.
"Here’s the problem: officers are responding FAST using lights-and-sirens to what sounds like a call of a real intruder — and only getting called off once everyone realizes it was a joke," said the Yonkers Police Department.