Capecodonline.com – Two men were arrested Thursday evening after unsuccessfully trying to videotape a prank that entailed knocking on a stranger’s door and springing from a large box in a scary clown mask.
At about 5:50 p.m. Thursday, an off-duty Barnstable police officer on a small street off Shootflying Hill Road saw Nicholas Court, 25, and Jonathan Gebbia, 21, run through his backyard and over to his neighbor’s house, Sgt. Sean Sweeney said.
Court, of Dennis Port, was dressed in all black and wearing a “freaky clown mask” with blood and scars, Sweeney said, leading the off-duty officer to call police to report that the two appeared to be preparing to break into his neighbor’s house.
Court, carrying a large box, stepped onto the neighbor’s front porch while Gebbia, of Hyannis, hid in the bushes with a video camera, Sweeney said. The off-duty officer ran over to intervene before the 34-year-old woman inside the house answered the door, Sweeney said.
Court and Gebbia told the off-duty officer that they did not know the residents of the house.
“They explained they were going to put it on YouTube. The woman had never seen the people before. It was a strictly random pick,” Sweeney said.
Court and Gebbia were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing on land, Sweeney said.
At the police station, Sgt. Dave Myette noted that an elderly person could have answered the door and had a heart attack. The two said they had not considered that possibility.
Court and Gebbia were scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Barnstable District Court. Police seized the video camera, Sweeney said.
Is it a dick move to pull this prank on random people instead of ones you know? Sure, but it also has a chance to be really funny. It’s basically a risk/reward type thing that polices itself. You might get internet gold, like some hilarious sassy black chick who loses her shit and freaks out so bad her extensions fall out, or you might get an ex marine who kicks the shit out of you. These are the risks you take when trying to make a viral prank video.
This is definitely one of those “sign of the times” situations. I’m 99% sure these two don’t get arrested for this 20 years ago. We just live in so much fear these days that we lock people up for jokes and seize their video cameras. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were charged with being terrorists. Nantucket should probably sound their air raid sirens. Everyone lock your doors and grab your transistor radios! Close the bridges, there’s crazy clowns on the loose! Hide the children and elderly! Oh the humanity!
The bottom line is that prank videos are kinda dumb and anyone who does them deserves whatever repercussions they get. In fact I openly root for them to get their asses kicked, but do they belong in jail? I’m not so sure of that.
P.S. How many old people die of prank induced heart attacks per year? Negative infinity?
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