Police in New York responded to reports of a “masked suspect” roaming a neighborhood, only to discover the suspect was actually a deer with its head stuck inside a plastic bag.
The unusual call came in on December 28, 2025, prompting officers to investigate what was initially believed to be a person wearing a mask and moving through the area.
According to the Ramapo Police Department, officers arrived on the scene to find a deer lying in the snow with an oversized plastic bag covering its head. The department later shared a video of the encounter on Facebook, documenting the moment the animal was safely freed.
Police realize the “masked suspect” was a deer
In the clip, officers cautiously approach the deer before one officer gently removes the bag. Once freed, the deer immediately jumps to its feet and runs off into a nearby wooded area.
The police department joked about the mix-up in the video’s caption, saying the subject “turned out to be a deer disguising itself as a bag.” Officers added that they “sprang into deer-tective mode,” removed the disguise, and released the suspect back into the wild “on its own hoof.”
This is far from the first time police were given a surprise after receiving reports from concerned citizens. Back in November, multiple abandoned dog reports ended up being a Frozen 2 deer toy, and in September, reports of a woman calling for help led to the police discovering a screaming goat.
