They were going bananas!<\/p>\n
Viral photos showing wild monkeys on the loose in New Jersey sent cops on a frantic search this week \u2014 but officials now say it was likely an AI-generated hoax. <\/p>\n
The phony images showing scores of primates running wild at Georgia King Village apartment complex in Newark triggered panicked calls to authorities, leading police on a frenzied hunt Thursday morning, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, PIX11 reported. <\/a><\/p>\n The viral images of monkeys were likely AI-generated, police said. NJ 1015<\/p>\n One image showed two monkeys rummaging through a dumpster. <\/p>\n Officers scoured the area and inside the buildings, but the animals were nowhere to be found, Miranda said. <\/p>\n \u201cOfficers have not located any monkeys,\u201d he told the outlet, noting the city\u2019s animal control officers also received a similar bogus report on Wednesday. <\/p>\n \u201cAny photos or videos posted on social media regarding this incident are likely AI-generated.\u201d<\/p>\n Newark cops responded to the area after receiving reports of monkeys on the loose but didn\u2019t find anything. PIX 11<\/p>\n While the fake sightings are still being investigated, police labeled the incident \u201ca hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n Hariette Guity, who works in an office near where the monkeys were reported, told the outlet she received a call from an alarmed coworker who advised her to \u201cbe careful\u201d due to the digital fakes. <\/p>\n