In February 2021, social media users began sharing what appeared to be a sign stapled to a telephone pole by a family worried that they were being stalked by a ghostly "horse made of 5G energy" that had been "appearing on our lawn & staring at our home":
The poster's creator expressed concern for his family because "we are not vaccinated" and stated that he had contacted police but was told, "as long as the horse is not harming your family we don't care about 5G."
This item deftly melded conspiracy theories about 5G wireless technology and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic in a masterful display of quirky paranoia.
However, the poster was just another prank executed by artist and comedian Alan Wagner, whose similar work (particularly his eerie "Bathe in My Milk" advertisements) has been covered here at Snopes.com. The original was posted to his Instagram account:
The phone number displayed on the poster for "Officer Bradley Benvar" (who allegedly isn't taking the reported 5G energy horse problem seriously enough) plays along with the jape, connecting callers to a recording in which "Officer Benvar" disclaims the 5G horse as "not real" and asserts that "the man who made this sign is a man whose elderly father I imprisoned, and this is his way of getting back at me."
