Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cops Come When Brooklyn Tomato Plant Is Mistaken For Pot Plants
By
Jen Chung
Published May 9, 2013
Modified May 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
duh
By
Jen Chung
Published May 9, 2013
Modified May 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The super of a Prospect-Lefferts Garden building called the cops when he spotted some plants on the rooftop that looked like marijuana. Well, at least they looked like the photos of cannabis plants that he saw on the Internet. But the green growing things were actually... tomato plants.
The Daily News reports that super Christian Delarosa had been checking the roof for leaks (there was that deluge yesterday) and spotted some Solo cups with plants, “I don’t know much about plants. I’m not too good with that. When I saw them, the first thing I thought was ‘Oh, my God.’ Right there I looked it up on my phone and they looked close to marijuana plants, but I thought I should call someone who knew about plants, so I called police."
The first cop that responded wasn't able to tell whether the plants were marijuana or not either, Delarosa says. Ultimately, the case was closed. A University of California, Riverside botanist tells the News the two plants are "not the same species; they’re not the same genus. I don’t even think they’re part of the same family. It’s very hard for me to see that somebody could (confuse the two). If you put the leaves side by side, you wouldn’t be able to mistake them." Well, save that for Law & Order: Horticulture Unit, where chilled out detectives will also crack down on assholes selling oregano to naive college students.
Tagged
brooklyn
marijuana plant
mistake
pot plant
rooftop
tomato plant
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Staten Island fire injures two, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 10:34 a.m. ET
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
Repeat offenders are a big talking point in the governor's race.
By
Gino Fanelli
News
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
Repeat offenders are a big talking point in the governor's race.
By
Gino Fanelli
NYPD searching for 'person of interest' in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .