With protests occurring across various parts of the U.S., law enforcement has been working tirelessly. Most of the time, officers show up in uniform, but there’s always a chance that some may be operating undercover. TikToker @ellewithtwoelles seems to have stumbled upon one of these hidden officers when she filmed a suspicious ice cream truck in Brooklyn, New York. The truck, painted in a striking shade of pink, initially appears innocent as a man is seen ordering ice cream at the start of the video. However, when the TikToker pans the camera toward the driver’s seat, she captures a close-up of keys with the NYPD logo on the keychain. She then zooms in on a security camera mounted on the outside of the truck, further raising suspicions about its true purpose.
Of course, this suspicious ice cream truck wasn’t parked there without reason. If the TikToker’s suspicions are correct, the NYPD officers inside were likely monitoring a protest at Brooklyn College. While such a covert approach might seem excessive to some, it may have been justified in this case. The protest on Thursday ended with 14 people being arrested by law enforcement.
The conflict began when demonstrators set up tents on campus, which the college prohibits, as they blocked access to buildings and disrupted normal activities. Despite several warnings, the protesters refused to dismantle the tents and continued to gather on the campus grounds. The growing tension ultimately led to intervention from campus security and the NYPD.
Many internet users who watched the TikToker’s video weren’t particularly surprised, with some even cracking jokes about the situation. “Oh, that’s ICE cream alright,” one user quipped. Others praised @ellewithtwoelles for her sharp eye and quick thinking to spot something so unusual. However, as of now, there has been no official confirmation that the individuals inside the ice cream truck are actually NYPD officers.
Still, many users didn’t seem to need further evidence, as most were quick to believe that officers were indeed inside the truck. For some, the video was yet another sign that America is sliding toward authoritarianism. One Reddit user suggested that the TikToker should have confronted the person inside, claiming that police are obligated to identify themselves if asked. Another user responded heatedly, arguing that “ICE doesn’t care about those rules” and accusing the agency of “seizing people off the streets, unidentified, unwarranted, and without due process.”
A handful of Redditors wondered whether the officers were actually selling ice cream while posing as a regular truck. Some pointed out that it might not have been undercover police at all, but simply a case of a driver using an NYPD keychain without any official affiliation. “This feels like the Boston Marathon all over again,” one user wrote. “Some family business that just happens to have an NYPD keychain to avoid hassle from inspectors is going to get review-bombed and harassed, and they’ll have no recourse.”
