Phew. Highway patrol's Batman-themed emergency alert was only test
"Uh, the Missouri Emergency Alert system wants us to know The Joker's on the prowl apparently."
- Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
Missouri residents can rest easy. That emergency alert they got about trouble in Gotham City was only a test.
The alert went out on Tuesday labeled "severe." It cited "Gotham City, Missouri," and a purple and green Dodge 3700 GT like the one seen in the 1989 Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. The Dodge sedan in the film is a Joker Goon car, with a purple body, and both the hood and tire rims painted green.
"Uh, the Missouri Emergency Alert system wants us to know The Joker's on the prowl apparently," one Twitter user noted.
Uh the Missouri Emergency Alert system wants us to know The Joker's on the prowl apparently pic.twitter.com/MfU7w3pEe0
— Eternal Machina (@emplamo) January 18, 2022
Fortunately, St. Louis news station KMOX jumped in to investigate the alert and let the public know they needn't worry about running into the Joker while doing errands downtown.
"The Missouri State Highway Patrol now confirms… there's no emergency," KMOX anchor Michael Calhoun shared. "They're doing training. The Batman alert was meant to be a test."
Update on the alert: there’s no emergency. About to pop into DGS with this info. pic.twitter.com/PNonhWHpUn
— Michael Calhoun (@michaelcalhoun) January 18, 2022
Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed in a statement that the emergency had been inadvertently sent to wireless devices statewide. "The Patrol regularly tests the Blue Alert system to ensure it works properly when needed," the statement read. "During the test, an option was incorrectly selected, allowing the message to be disseminated to the public. There is no Emergency Alert at this time. The Patrol appreciates the public's understanding and support of the Emergency Alert program."
Missouri officials were, not, however, able to reassure area residents that Thanos or Green Goblin won't show up anytime soon.
