PHILADELPHIA, PA — What started as a harmless prank quickly spiraled into an overnight ordeal for local man Kevin Morris, 26, after he decided to pose as a mannequin inside a department store—only to realize too late that he had been left behind when the store closed.
Morris, known among his friends for having an “adventurous” sense of humor, was shopping at a local mall when he noticed a display of mannequins wearing winter coats. Inspired, he decided to see if he could blend in.
“I thought it’d be funny to stand there motionless and freak out some customers,” Morris explained. “At first, I was just doing it for a few minutes, waiting for someone to notice. But then I thought, ‘What if I could go unnoticed the entire time?’”
The Commitment to the Bit
Determined to pull off his prank, Morris adopted a classic mannequin pose—one arm slightly bent, head tilted just enough to look stylishly indifferent.
“I even did the dead-eyed stare they have,” he said proudly. “A lady walked right past me and didn’t even flinch. I was crushing it.”
Unfortunately, Morris was so dedicated to his ruse that he didn’t notice the store announcing its closing time. Employees, assuming he was part of the display, turned off the lights, locked the doors, and left him standing there—an accidental prisoner in the men’s winter apparel section.
“At first, I thought, ‘Okay, no big deal, someone’s gotta come back soon,’” Morris recalled. “Then I heard the metal security gate slam down, and I was like, ‘Uh-oh.’”
The Longest Night of His Life
Realizing his situation, Morris panicked and considered calling for help, but his phone was at 2%, and he had left his charger in his car.
“I figured if I set off the alarm, I’d look like an idiot in front of security. So I decided to just… wait it out,” he admitted.
Over the next six hours, Morris wandered the empty store, resisting the urge to nap on the display beds out of fear of setting off motion sensors. He also debated trying on a luxury jacket, but “felt like that crossed the line from ‘hilarious misunderstanding’ to ‘actual crime.’”
Freedom at Last
Around 6 a.m., as employees arrived to open the store, Morris saw his opportunity.
“I panicked and did the dumbest thing possible—I went back to my mannequin pose,” he said. “Which was fine until one of the workers noticed that this ‘mannequin’ was sweating profusely.”
A startled employee screamed, Morris broke character, and chaos ensued. Security was called, but after reviewing the footage and realizing he hadn’t stolen anything, they let him go with a warning—and a lifetime ban from the store.
“I probably won’t be shopping there again anyway,” Morris admitted. “But on the plus side, at least I now know I could totally be a mannequin if this whole ‘normal job’ thing doesn’t work out.”