Bizarre find in passenger seat after car pulled over by police

A police officer made a bizarre discovery after pulling over a driver and taking a closer look at what was strapped into the passenger seat.

A California driver learned their lesson the hard way when police pulled them over in the carpool lane — only to find that their “passenger” was a realistic-looking mannequin.

“So folks have been asking, ‘If I have a mannequin in the passenger seat, does that count as a second occupant in the vehicle?’ Trying to use the carpool lane with no one else in the car!” the California Highway Patrol Santa Fe Springs office wrote on Instagram of the incident.

The post included a snapshot of the dummy, which featured a hyper-realistic rubber mask complete with a goatee and sunglasses, plus a makeshift sweatshirt torso, the New York Post reports.

The realistic dummy even sported a pair of sunglasses. Picture: chp_santa_fe_springs/Instagram

“We’ve gotta give it to them, the appearance is next-level modelling but at the end of the day… plastic is plastic,” the agency said.

“Officer Kaplan made an enforcement stop on this vehicle for crossing solid double lines only to realise the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle with their plastic friend. The goatee was sharp … just a little too sharp,” they added.

The driver got a citation for carpool violations, the post noted.

“Remember to plan ahead, know your route of travel, and the general challenges of your drive to avoid being in a rush or tempted to push your luck,” CHP cautioned.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was republished with permission.

Originally published as Bizarre find in passenger seat after car pulled over by police