A high-school "Paranoia" game turned into a Monday-morning mess in Franklin, where police say a round of teen hijinks spiraled into 911 calls about a naked man with a gun and shirtless people threatening each other. Officers ultimately pulled off a high-risk traffic stop that slowed the commute and ended with one person arrested for disorderly conduct, according to the department.
Police response and arrest
According to TMJ4, the first call hit Franklin Police dispatch early Monday, prompting a response from multiple patrol shifts along with other units that are not usually on street duty. Officers moved in on a vehicle connected to the reports and carried out what the department described as a high-risk traffic stop.
Investigators soon learned the driver and passenger were wrapped up in the Paranoia game that has become popular with Franklin High School students. Police said one of the incidents tied to the game led to an arrest, and that they treated the calls as potential threats to public safety rather than teenage roughhousing.
What the "Paranoia" game involves
The Paranoia or "Senior Assassin" game typically sets students up in bracket-style rounds where players try to "eliminate" opponents using water or foam guns, and some participants take off clothing to avoid getting hit, CBS58 reported last year. Franklin police have been sounding the alarm about it for years.
A 2018 department post and follow-up coverage detailed how students running naked through a subdivision ended with citations, WISN reported. Law enforcement and school officials say the tradition might feel lighthearted behind closed doors but quickly turns into a public-safety issue when it spills into streets, sparks alarms or involves anything that looks like a threat.
Police urge parents to step in
Franklin police are now asking families to get involved before the next round kicks off. The department urged community members to "educate young people about the seriousness of these incidents and the potential consequences," per TMJ4.
Officers emphasized that a game that starts as a prank can quickly turn into a 911 call about weapons or threats, which means they have to treat it as the real thing until they know otherwise. Police encouraged parents to steer teens toward safer, supervised alternatives that do not involve public nudity, realistic-looking guns or surprise confrontations in the street.
Why neighbors should stay alert
Authorities point out that in other parts of Wisconsin, similar games have already led to 911 calls that were mistaken for active shooters or armed showdowns, which brought in large police responses and created dangerous confusion, according to WTMJ. That track record, they say, is why Franklin officers treated Monday's reports as serious business from the start.
Police advise anyone who sees people acting recklessly or handling anything that looks like a weapon to call 911 instead of walking up to confront them. Even if it turns out to be a squirt gun and a prank, they say, it is better to let officers sort it out than risk a misunderstanding that could end much worse.
