Social media users are mocking a man who called the police on a stranger dressed in yellow in Northern Ireland.
Footage filmed from a passing car shows a figure wearing a long and heavy yellow coat, with yellow trousers and boots to match, walking along a road at night in the Kilrea area of Co Derry.
The man was also reportedly wearing a white mask and black wig, although these can’t be seen in the December 27 video.
‘Excuse me mate, excuse me sir, what are you doing’, Gerard McFerran shouts from the window. ‘What’s going on here? Why are you wearing a mask and all?’
He continued: ‘You need to explain something here. This isn’t f***ing right… Why are you in this town for? Tell me, why are you in this town for?’
The ‘yellow man’ explained he was trying to get back to his friend’s place after travelling by train to visit that day.
But that didn’t seem to satisfy McFerran, who replied: ‘We’re going to ring the cops on you, alright.’
There have also been sightings reported in the Rasharkin and Dunloy areas.
Police said: ‘We take all reports very seriously and I hope that the visibility of our officers today, alongside our commitment to continue to patrol shared public spaces, provides reassurance and boosts confidence that we are committed to doing everything we can to make areas safe.
‘If you are out and about and notice anything suspicious or perhaps you are concerned about the welfare of an individual, please report your concerns.’
There is no indication any crime has been committed, and the saga has prompted ridicule on social media.
Responding to initial reports in Belfast Live, Ghost of Sid Vicious said: ‘Headline should say “Man out for evening stroll gets accosted by paranoid weirdo Gerard McFerran”.’
One person on Reddit wrote: ‘What is is scary about a man wearing yellow walking down a road , seen the clip , the fella could have just liked yellow , been going home from a party, freezing cold.’
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Another said: ‘By the looks of the video it’s someone out in rain gear……. Doesn’t seem like he’s doing much harm.’
Writing on X, Joe Soap said: ‘I heard he was just lost and was heading to the old Lammas fair in Ballycastle.’
Peter said: ‘And then he gets knocked down by a Submarine.’
Liam O’Grady said: ‘There’s a fetish going on there somewhere, but I’m damned if I can name it.’
Discussing the incident on TikTok, a user called Costa said: ‘Maybe he is looking for his yellow woman.
‘Just be careful out there because the yellow man might be walking beside you, and it’s up to you if you want to give him a lift home or not.’
Explaining his version of events to Belfast Live, McFerran said: ‘ was driving down the Vow Road when I saw the man wearing in all yellow walking down the road and it seemed very strange.
‘I was asking him why he was dressed like that and he mostly ignored me and just kept walking.
‘All he said was that “it wasn’t him” and that he couldn’t get the mask off and that he had been staying with a friend after getting a train up here.
‘It was all very strange and made no sense at all.’
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