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Video: Selfie Rat Takes Photo With Sleeping Man's Phone On Subway Platform
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 22, 2015
Modified Nov 22, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 22, 2015
Modified Nov 22, 2015
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Rats have long been taking advantage of people in the city with the same gusto as hot dog sellers and Staten Island Ferry dealers—but thanks to all the viral food people have been throwing at them lately, they're starting to act more and more like humans.
Connecticut man Don Richards told Fox61 he was visiting NYC recently when he was witness to a rat crawling all over a sleeping man on a Brooklyn subway platform. And what happened next will amaze you and change how you see our city.
As you can see in the video above, the man rightfully freaked out when he realized the rat was attempting to occupy his body and control him ala Weekend At Bernie's or Ratatouille. But it seems the man wasn't awoken by the feeling of tiny little talons clawing toward his face—Fox61 claims he was woken up by the flash of the camera that was set off when the rat took a selfie with his phone. SEE, NOW YOU ARE AMAZED, DON'T TRY TO HIDE IT.
For what it's worth, this could all be another three-eyed fish situation. It's not clear how Richards (or Fox61) got the selfie from the sleeping man, or why he was filming in the first place (although tourists ARE quite taken by the exotic natural NYC wildlife). Maybe nothing is real and everything we experience is just a hallucination of consciousness. Maybe Tupac is still alive and maybe Andy Kaufman really is coming out of retirement next year. We've contacted Fox61 to get clarity on the video.
The really important part is that it's only a matter of time before rats discover hashtags. And that we got through this entire post without making any terrible "say cheese!" puns.
IMPORTANT UPDATE BELOW: A Fox61 spokesperson explained that Richards and the sleeping man ended up befriending each other and "texted the picture and video to each other after the incident." As for why Richards was filming it in the first place, well, "He's from Connecticut, not New York, so my guess is this was an unusual incident for him. He didn't know what would happen next."
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selfie rat
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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