'A little weird, but harmless': Residents find old TV sets left on porches

GLEN ALLEN, Va. (STORYFUL) - (Video credit: James Simon via Storyful)

Residents in a Virginia neighborhood were confused and alarmed when they found older television sets on their porches – left overnight on August 10 by a man wearing a mask shaped like a television.

“It was odd. Definitely a little weird, but harmless,” James Simon told Storyful. Simon found the television set on his porch in Glen Allen and saw the incident unfold on his Nest security camera.

A man, wearing a television set mask to conceal his identity, carried the television onto Simon’s porch, sat it down, and then waved at the camera as he walked away.

One of Simon’s neighbors, Jeanne Brooksbank, told Storyful she found a television set on her porch, and took photos of other homes nearby, also featuring the new porch decor. She said she called police and officers retrieved the sets.

According to an August 11 report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the old television sets were placed on the porches of more than 50 homes.

Police said they believe more than one person is responsible for the deliveries, the report said, and although unusual, is no cause for alarm.

The apparent prank was played in the area in 2018 as well, the local news report said, with more than 20 vintage TV sets left on front porches.

(Credit: James Simon via Storyful)