Is Virginia's mysterious 'driverless' van actually being driven by a man dressed as a car seat?

Welcome to Arlington, Virginia, where a fake driverless car is apparently on the loose. "Fake," because the driverless car actually does seem to have a driver — only, he's disguised as a car seat.

Let's back up.

ARL Now first reported that "a mysterious, seemingly driverless van" was spotted last week "cruising the streets of Arlington's Courthouse and Clarendon neighborhoods." ARL Now added that "the unmarked gray van with Virginia license plates drove up and down Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards more than a half dozen times — with no one in the driver's seat or passenger seat."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

On Monday, NBC Washington's Adam Tuss took a closer look — and realized there was in fact someone in the car:

Driverless car pranks are a thing, but it's not entirely clear what this seat — uh, man — is up to here.