Girl calls 911 after she knocks over her Elf on the Shelf
Isabelle "Izzy" LaPeruta, 7, recently called 911 to report a very big emergency: She accidentally knocked over her Elf on the Shelf, and was convinced the act was going to land her on Santa's naughty list.
As the story that accompanies each Elf on the Shelf goes, elves (who report back to Santa every night) are not allowed to be touched, as it makes the magic of Christmas disappear. Not wanting to be responsible for a cheer-less holiday, the New Jersey resident called 911 to explain her situation. Izzy eventually told the 911 operator not to send the police, saying she was just trying to call her father, but officers were dispatched to the LaPeruta home to make sure everything was okay.
Izzy's mother, Lynanne, woke up from a nap to find the Elf on the Shelf on the floor, police officers in the house, and her daughter "hysterical crying," she said. "She was panicking." The child explained she didn't want to get in trouble, and the officers were understanding. "To her, it was an emergency when she touched the elf, and she's going to ruin Christmas, so that was her emergency," Old Bridge Police Lt. Joseph Mandola told NBC New York. "In her mind, she did right, and it was fine with us." Izzy promised never again to call 911 with an elf-related issue.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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