Four Charged After Alleged Kidnapping Hoax on the Northway

Kidnapped on the Northway

This might be one of the most foolish things we’ve seen in a while, and it’s hard to imagine how it could have ended any other way but badly.

According to WRGB CBS 6, four people are accused of faking a kidnapping while riding in a vehicle on the Northway, temporarily shutting down part of the highway and triggering a State Police response.

The Car was Stopped in Malta

Troopers say a passerby spotted a sign inside a car heading southbound that read, “Help!! Being kidnapped!!” around 1 PM on Wednesday. Concerned for the safety of those inside, police stopped the vehicle in Malta.
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Once the car was pulled over, everyone inside reportedly told troopers it was “just a joke.”

Arrests Made

Four individuals were ultimately arrested as a result of the highway hoax.  Police say they arrested Jasmine Barber, 20, and Emily Ferdinandi, 20, both of Champlain, along with two unnamed 18-year-olds, one of whom was the driver.

All four were charged with falsely reporting an incident, and authorities stress that situations like this are no laughing matter.

We’ve all done regrettable things when we were young, like dumb jokes, bad decisions, moments we’d like back. But in this case, these weren’t kids. They were young adults who should have known better.

Whether this was an attempt to film content for social media or just a misguided joke, it was plainly irresponsible, a huge waste of time and effort for our hard-working law enforcement, and could have ended very differently.