Apparently, the giant inflatable Halloween pumpkins had a meeting and decided to go rogue this week. Because not one, but two of them caused chaos for drivers in two different states.
Drivers in North Carolina and Iowa both encountered runaway inflatable Halloween pumpkins, and both bizarre incidents were caught on camera.
The first runaway pumpkin broke free from a North Carolina farm on Sunday. Phillips Farms of Cary shared a video on social media of the inflatable pumpkin rolling down the road.
The farm was hosting its annual “Pumpkinfest” when the pumpkin got loose and rolled in front of an Uber driver.
“It’s gonna hit us! The pumps gonna hit my car,” the Uber driver said in the video that went viral on TikTok.
“Pumpkinfest went a little off kilter this year, but we let it roll and had a gourdgeous Sunday. Thanks @uber for helping us bring it home,” Phillips Farms wrote in the video’s caption.
“My first legit thought was James and Giant Peach but Halloween themed lmao,” one viewer commented, while another added, “I’ve seen this episode of 911.”
Another rogue pumpkin got loose in Iowa
Not to be outdone, on Tuesday afternoon, another giant inflatable pumpkin went on the run in Dubuque, Iowa. Local resident Pam McCarron was driving to work when the enormous jack-o-lantern appeared in front of her car.
“I was like, ‘Is it going to hit me? Is it going to hit my car? Is it going to go over my car?’” McCarron told KCRG News. “It’s big enough where I couldn’t see around it to know if there was anything on the other side when it was on the other side of the street.”
“It’s entertaining. It’s funny to watch it, but you think about what could have happened. What if?” Dubuque police Lt. Luke Bock, who reviewed traffic camera video of the incident, said.
Giant inflatable pumpkins have done this sort of thing before
In 2024, an officer with the Bay Village Police Department in Ohio responded to a report of a “runaway pumpkin” blocking traffic.
In dashcam footage posted to the Bay Village Police Department’s Facebook page, the officer is seen arriving at the scene and approaching the wayward jack-o-lantern. A burst of wind pushes the enormous inflatable. As he approaches the pumpkin, it engulfs him and slides over to “attack” his police cruiser. The pumpkin then rolls into another police vehicle as it approaches.
“Luckily, no officers (or pumpkins) were harmed during the event,” the Bay Village Police Department wrote. “Once backup officers arrived, the pumpkin was returned to the homeowner.”