WEST FARGO, ND (WDAY/CNN) - A North Dakota couple got a jumpstart on decorating for Halloween, which caught some neighbors off guard.
One was so convinced by a “help me” decoration placed on their window, that he called police.
"it is my favorite holiday. It's been since birth actually,” the homeowner, Becky Muhs, said.
Oct. 31 is also her and her husband’s wedding anniversary, and Muhs’ birthday is on the Oct. 29.
"Halloween is kind of a good day for us,” she said.
Over the weekend, she got a jump start on her Halloween decorations. And before any of the eyeballs or inflatables went up, their first decoration was the window sign.
The "help me" text looked like it was written in blood.
After putting it up, the couple went out for a birthday dinner. On their way home, they got messages from neighbors asking if they were okay.
One man even went as far as calling 911.
That neighbor was a local radio host, Jay Thomas.
"I look across the street and I see in my neighbor's window, the sign that says ‘help me,’" Thomas said. "That window has always had the curtains drawn. So I'm like, 'What's going on in here?'”
He said he saw what appeared to be an undercover squad car parked down the street before calling the police.
"So I go walk down there, I look in the car, the person in there just motions me to get out of here. I'm like, ‘Whoa, OK, something's not right.’"
Thomas called 911, then started messaging Muhs.
"I didn't answer and 15 minutes later, he's like, 'Are you okay, are you okay, are you at home?' And then I said, 'What?’ He said, 'A sign, you have a sign on your window, help me.'"
She was OK, and the officer who showed up told the couple this happens all the time.
"To my defense, there were no other Halloween decorations out there,” Thomas said.
The serious scare is now a memory that's still making both of them laugh.
"That was a talented terror there,” Muhs said.
Officers did not ask them to take down the "help me" sign.
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