Chapman Hamborg, a 33-year-old artist and father of four, went for a walk around his neighborhood with his newborn daughter. The baby was just one month old, and the walks helped calm her while his wife got some rest.
But that day, a neighbor became concerned when she saw him. Hamborg was wearing paint-stained clothes, had his hair tied back messily, and was wearing a broken slipper. The woman thought he was a homeless person walking with a baby and decided to call the police.
According to Hamborg, who spoke to PEOPLE, the situation became even more unusual because the neighbor followed him to his home. Shortly afterward, a police officer arrived and explained that they had received a report about a “homeless man with a baby”.
Hamborg had to show his ID to prove that he lived in that very house. The baby, of course, was his daughter.
The incident took place on April 22, 2025, in Huntington Beach, California, and ended without any major problems. Hamborg said the officer was kind and that, after clearing up the misunderstanding, they were even able to laugh about the situation.
The story later went viral and sparked a discussion about how quickly a person can be judged simply by their appearance.