A truck that was suspected of being part of an abduction. (Washington State Patrol)
What appeared to be an abduction near a Washington state park Wednesday night turned out to be an elaborate prank involving members of the same family, officials said.
Washington state troopers responded to a report of a possible kidnapping in downtown Olympia near Heritage Park at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Q13 FOX. Witnesses told police about six men in white plastic jumpsuits grabbed three people, zip-tied their arms and threw them into the back of a truck. Police release surveillance footage of the truck used in the frightening incident early Thursday.
But about 10 hours later, state troopers received a call saying the abduction was fake. The prank was planned three weeks in advance and involved six members of a family, ages 20 to 28, officials said. The group targeted an 11- and 15-year-old in what they called an “escape-room style kidnapping,” officials said. A 17-year-old led the youngsters through the park to set up the "kidnapping," police said.
The family thought it would be fun and didn’t think there would have been any consequences to their actions, according to investigators. A member of the group was the person to initially tell officials what happened.
“We take this seriously when people have been abducted, especially a child, we want to make sure that person is safe,” Washington State Patrol Sergeant James Prouty told reporters. “It’s a relief you don’t have a child out there that’s been abducted. Definitely a relief.”
The case will be turned over to Thurston County prosecutors to determine whether charges will be filed.
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