Missouri
Gotham City: Fictional US city accidentally sent real warning about Batman
Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman in the 1989 film of the same name
© United Archives / IFTN / Picture Alliance
On Tuesday, a US law enforcement agency sent out a warning that not only referred to Batman’s hometown of Gotham City, but also to Batman’s Joker adversary’s car.
An emergency alert falsely sent to mobile devices in the United States Tuesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol urged Gotham City residents to keep an eye out for a purple/green 1978 Dodge 3700 GT. The sedan, with the “UKIDME” license plate, sounds a lot like the cars used by the Joker’s goons in the 1989 Batman film, summarizes CNN, which first reported the faux pas.
False alarm before Batman
It turns out that of course there is no Gotham City in Missouri and that the message was sent in error during a test. The sender appears to be someone with an impressively detailed knowledge of the vehicles used in the film, which starred Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
“This was intended as a test message, IT WAS NOT AN ALARM,” law enforcement soon posted on social media. The Missouri State Highway Patrol was conducting “a routine test of Missouri’s Blue Alert system” when the message was broadcast to wireless devices across the state, the agency said in a press release. “The Patrol regularly tests the Blue Alert system to ensure it is working properly when required. During testing, an option was selected incorrectly, which allowed the message to get out to the public”.
“Blue Alert” system
According to the Autobahn Police, the so-called “Blue Alert” system is intended to quickly disseminate information about “violent offenders who have been killed, seriously injured or pose an immediate and credible threat to law enforcement”. Similar false positives from other agencies have also raised real concerns in the past – and were also quickly rectified, as reported by CNN.
Last year, for example, authorities in Chile mistakenly broadcast a tsunami evacuation warning after an earthquake. And in 2018, residents and tourists in Hawaii were startled by a text message warning of an incoming ballistic missile that turned out to be a false alarm.