An artist and father from Southern California was out on a routine walk with his daughter when a neighbor called the cops on him, thinking he was a homeless man who had just kidnapped a child.
33-year-old Chapman Hamborg from Huntington Beach was enjoying a stroll in his quiet beachside residential area, intent on giving his wife some rest, on April 22, 2025. The father and daughter were heading back to their home, the rest of his kids awake and playing outside.
Highlights
- A Southern California father was mistaken for a homeless kidnapper by a neighbor while walking with his own daughter.
- Police were called to verify his identity, and the officer was polite and understanding throughout the encounter.
- The father, who is an artist with a casual style, embraced the mix-up humorously on social media.
But things took an unexpected turn when his eldest son noticed there was a police car parked right by their home.
A concerned neighbor called the cops on a father strolling with his daughter, thinking he was a "homeless" who had kidnapped a child
Image credits: hannahhamborg
Feelings weren’t uneasy initially, especially since Hamborg said the cop was polite.
“He was very friendly and kind,” he told PEOPLE. “So I wasn’t on guard… I already kind of had a hint that there must have been some sort of miscommunication.”
And as it turns out, he was right. One of his neighbors had mistaken him for a homeless man and wanted authorities to confirm his identification.
Image credits: thehamborgs
Image credits: thehamborgs
In a now viral video, Hamborg explained on Instagram, “Someone called the cops on me thinking that I was a homeless person with a baby, so the cop needs to see my ID.”
He also shared in the caption that he was surprised all of his neighbors hadn’t seen him and recognized him by now, especially to the point where “this lady thought I was homeless and had a (stolen?!) baby,” worried enough to get the cops to follow him home.
The police officer arrived at Hamborg's home but was very kind and understanding as he explained the situation
Image credits: thehamborgs
Hamborg had been wearing his Patagonia jacket but may have looked a little unkempt with his hair pulled back in a loose bun, a hole in his slipper, and his clothes stained with paint. He even admitted that sometimes he walks around barefoot and doesn’t think twice about how he’s perceived.
“I’m an artist and I have disheveled clothes and stuff,” he said. “I’m confident in who I am and my style and, you know, I’ve never been to a barber. I cut my own hair. I have no problem with it. Like I choose to dress the way I do for a reason and I’m not going to change the way I look because of it.”
Instead of making this a divisive situation with the neighbor in question, the artist has decided to share the experience on social media, turning it into a humorous opportunity to poke fun at his own sense of fashion.
He asked his followers to vote, “If you saw me would you have thought I was homeless?”
Hamborg then turned to social media and asked whether others would've thought the same as his neighbor
Image credits: hamborgacademyofart
Image credits: thehamborgs
Hundreds of comments and thousands of votes agree that he did but most hilarious of all was his kids’ affirmation of such, as Hamborg turned the footage to one of his children saying, “Yeah, well, you actually do look like one.”
“You think I look homeless?” he responded. “Someone needs some beauty sleep, a spa day or something, or maybe some nicer clothes.”
General consensus: Yes, along with the agreement of one of his kids
Image credits: thehamborgs
Other netizens, however, took his side and pointed out that while his physical appearance may have thrown some people off, it would’ve been clear to them that he was just a guy taking his kid out for a walk.
“That lady obviously does NOT know how much that baby carrier costs,” laughed one person.
Another joked, “Wait, you mean there are parents out there who don’t look homeless with a newborn?!”
A third noted, “It’s mostly weird cause she assumed you were homeless and then watched you walk into a home and still called the police.”
Image credits: thehamborgs
It appears as if the neighbor who called him out never apologized to him, though the father-of-four did catch her in her car while he was talking to the police officer. One of these days, he hopes to run into her “not to be mad or guilt trip or anything,” but in hopes of introducing himself.
The bright side of all this? At least Hamborg knows she’s looking out for the kids on the block.
Some people on social media pointed out that she should have minded her own business
