A 16-year-old girl who mysteriously disappeared after tweeting that someone was in her house is now being accused of faking her own kidnapping.
Kara Alongi urgently asked her Twitter
followers on Sunday night to call 911, saying "there is someone in my house [sic]." It didn't take long for the Internet to rally around her message. Not only did #HelpFindKara trend worldwide on Twitter, nearly 34,000 people retweeted her call for help to raise awareness about the incident. She also gained about 95,000 followers by Monday morning and the local police department received more than 6,000 calls after her tweet went viral.
But now, police are saying that that the tweet was actually a hoax. When Alongi's family returned home about an hour later, they called authorities who found no traces of forced entry or stolen property, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
There is somone in my hour ecall 911— Kara Alongi (@KaraAlongi) September 30, 2012
Authorities traced her scent from the back of the house to a neighbor's yard until it disappeared. It has since been confirmed that a cab driver dropped off a young girl who matched Alongi's description at a nearby train station. Police haven't been able to track down whether she took a train. Her cell phone was found at home.
"The investigation quickly revealed a number of inconsistencies in the teen's statement," police said in a statement. "Specifically, it was discovered that a person called a local taxi company asking for a car at Alongi's address around the same time the Twitter message was posted."
Twitter users who showed concern just hours earlier started turning to the site to express their frustration with the event.
#helpfindkara a hoax? disgusted.— dεnnbbbbiighh(@denbighbeedle) October 1, 2012
This kara girl went from the most worried about girl on twitter, to the most hated.— Bryan Soth (@BryanTS18) October 1, 2012
It's unknown at this time if Alongi will be charged for faking her own kidnapping.
"Kara might feel that she will be in trouble if she comes home after this scare and causing a panic," police said. "At this point, all everyone cares about is seeing her safe and at her house where she belongs."