Imagine minding your business and then — boom — you get a notification that Batman’s nemesis, the Joker, is on the loose. Well, that’s exactly what happened to members of the public on Tuesday.
Missouri residents received an emergency alert warning citizens of “Gotham City” to be on the lookout for a purple and green 1978 Dodge 3700 GT with license plate number “UKIDME” — a description that matches the vehicle used by Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the 1989 film Batman.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol later clarified in a tweet, “This was meant to be a test message, THERE WAS NO ALERT.”
“Today, a routine test of Missouri’s Blue Alert system was inadvertently sent to wireless devices statewide. The Patrol regularly tests the Blue Alert system to ensure it works properly when needed. During the test, an option was incorrectly selected, allowing the message to be disseminated to the public,” they explained in a news release. “There is no Emergency Alert at this time. The Patrol appreciates the public’s understanding and support of the Emergency Alert program.”