Man gets booked for trying to drive in a two-passenger lane with an inflatable Grinch

A man was pulled over after being caught with an inflatable Grinch in the passenger seat in Phoenix, Arizona.

It looks like the Grinch is stealing Christmas a little earlier this year.

The driver was cited after police noticed a ‘suspicious passenger’ in the vehicle, as per the Daily Star.

At the time, the man was driving in a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, which is solely for vehicles containing no fewer than two passengers.

Sadly, for this man, his little green friend didn’t count, and he was found to have breached the rules by officials.

Following the bizarre encounter, the Arizona Department of Public Safety wrote on their Twitter page: “Last week, an #AZTrooper spotted a driver in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane with a Seusspicious-looking "passenger" on I-10 at Avondale Blvd at 8AM.

“The trooper stopped the driver & determined the grumpy green guy was, in fact, an inflatable Grinch. (No other passengers.)”

While they appreciated a little ‘festive flair’, it did not prevent the man from being booked.

They added: “With extra traffic on AZ roads this time of year, be sure you understand the law (ARS 28-737) & restricted times before using HOV lanes. Don’t get caught with a #Grinch!”

Naturally, the post had many users in stitches, as one person wrote: “This is very Seusspicious indeed! Naughty, naughty."

Another said: “They’re onto you, Grinchy! Run!”

A third joked: “Just bc his heart is two sizes too small doesn’t mean he’s not a passenger.”

While another shared: “Ah oh!!!! That’s a no no! But pretty funny!”

Similarly, in February, a police officer caught a driver using the HOV lane with a skeleton disguised as a person wearing a hi-vis jacket.

According to MYNorthwest, Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson caught the offending driver on southbound I-405 near Coal Creek.

Johnson posted a photo to Twitter and captioned it: “SB 405 near Coal Creek. #DoesNotCount for HOV. #GottaBeAlive.”

I mean, we have to give props to the driver for at least trying.

The photo left many users amused as one person wrote: “O my gosh. Thanks trooper! Gotta hard laugh outa that! Probably gonna end up being his Valentines date as well.”

While another said: “Traffic was that bad? He died and decomposed?”