What’s more surprising: A moving vehicle without a driver or a man dressed as a car seat?
A mysterious “driverless” van roaming the streets of Virginia shocked pedestrians over the weekend, and led local media outlets to question whether it was actually moving without human input.
The truth? More bizarre than anyone could have ever guessed.
It turns out the van was being driven by a guy wearing a car seat costume. First reported by ARLnow.com, the unmarked grey van with Virginia plates was spotted outside of Arlington Courthouse Thursday evening. People stopped and pointed as it casually drove around the area. Most folks probably thought they’d seen their first autonomous vehicle, but what they really saw is far more interesting.
NBC 4’s Adam Tuss is the hero who peeked through the van’s window only to find a guy wearing a black and beige suit, styled like a car seat—a sight Tuss will surely never unsee.
“I looked out and I said, ‘Oh my God, there’s a guy in a seat costume,” Tuss said. “How’s that possible? Your brain can’t get around it for a second.”
Tuss posted a picture of the bizarre scene to his Twitter account.
This is one of the strangest things I've ever seen @nbcwashington @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/8ipKEnkeiq
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) August 7, 2017
As you can see, the man’s entire torso is covered. All that’s visible are his arms, as if he were a magician about to escape from a straightjacket before a dangerous car stunt. The NBC 4 report says the man’s face was also completely covered, like a sports mascot.
Here's me trying to talk to a man in a car seat costume @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/e5humOM7uS
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) August 7, 2017
Tuss tried to speak with the prankster, but the driver remained silent and wouldn’t roll down his windows.
According to NBC, the Arlington Police Department is “shocked” by news of the van. It is still not clear who was driving the vehicle.