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Weather Anchor's Fake Police Report Shocks Co-Workers
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 16, 2010
Modified Dec 16, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 16, 2010
Modified Dec 16, 2010
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When it was revealed that WABC 7 weather anchor Heidi Jones was charged with filing a false police report, after making up a story about being attacked and nearly raped by a Hispanic man in Central Park, her coworkers, like the public, found out by reading it in the Post. One "fuming" WABC staffer said, "It was an outrageous lie... All this trust we had is shattered. We're like a family. We feel betrayed."
The source said it was "common knowledge" that Jones had allegedly been attacked "To the point that security guards would offer to escort her home." Jones reportedly told police in November about an attack that occurred in September. After investigating and upon further questioning, Jones allegedly admitted she made up the story to get attention.
Another staffer said, "She was deeply unhappy, personally and professionally," while a third said, "She's really a nice girl. There must be something deeper that we don't yet know about." A research psychologist—with no firsthand knowledge of the case—told CBS News, "Some people get a thrill by deceiving smart people. It may be that this woman found it thrilling to try to deceive police, who are often pretty good about spotting inconsistencies. It's an adrenaline rush."
The 37-year-old has been suspended pending an internal investigation, and the station may fire her (her photograph was removed from the hallway). Her lawyer told the Daily News, "Ms. Jones has had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist and urges all concerned to refrain from jumping to conclusions about the unproven charges against her being discussed in the press," while her mother told the Post, "I have no comment. I do know that the word 'rape' was never used."
Tagged
central park
fake rape
filing false report
heidi jones
police
WABC 7
weather
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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