A 7-year-old New Jersey girl panicked after she touched her Elf on the Shelf and called 911 for help, USA Today Network reports.
In the popular holiday book, the elf loses its magic if it is touched or moved. So, after Isabelle LaPeruta accidentally knocked her family’s elf from its perch, she worried her actions might not sit well with
Cue the 911 call. Once Isabelle got through to the emergency controller, she started to second-guess her decision.
“Don’t come to my house,” she said to the operator during the call. She explained that she was “trying" to call her dad to tell him about the accident and mistakenly dialed 911.
Police are legally required to investigate emergency calls, so, despite Isabelle's demands, an officer showed up at the LaPeruta residence in Old Bridge, N.J., Old Bridge Police Lt. Joseph Mandola said.
"The officer got there and the little girl came out and was trying to shush him away and saying "You can go now," Mandola said.
Isabelle's mother, Lynanne LaPeruta, woke up from a nap to find her daughter urging a police officer to leave their home.
She was hysterical crying; she was panicking," LaPeruta told WNBC-TV.
Isabelle said she didn't tell her mom because she didn't want to get in trouble, according to the station.
"She knows 911 is just for emergencies, but in her mind she was scared to death that Christmas was ruined and Santa wouldn’t come," Mandola said.
In Old Bridge, members of the fire department dress up as Santa Claus and drive around town, according to Mandola. He said on Tuesday night, police and the fire department made sure Santa made a special visit to Isabelle's doorstep.
“Santa went right to the door, and said, ‘Everything is ok, don’t worry about the elf,” Mandola told USA TODAY.
