When two men in the Bronx got out of a car that pulled up beside Karol Sanchez and forced her inside earlier this week, there were grave fears for the 16-year-old's safety.
Police believed Sanchez had been kidnapped and issued an amber alert.
But now, it has been revealed the teen faked the whole thing in order to get away from an unhappy family life, reports The New York Times.
Dark CCTV footage shows Sanchez with her mother when the men pushed her inside the car and drove off. Her mum, 36, was pushed to the ground in the struggle but was not seriously injured.
Hours after she disappeared, NYPD tweeted they had found Sanchez "safe and unharmed" but since then the case has taken a bizarre twist.
According to CBS, the teen returned to the scene of the "kidnapping" and turned herself in to police.
"She was shaken up. She was bending over, grabbing her knees, and discussing with the police. And that’s when they took her into the parking garage for questioning," one witness told CBS.
After being taken to the police station, Sanchez then confessed she staged the kidnapping with four accomplices, The New York Times reported.
During her police interview, Sanchez told officers she faked the kidnapping because her mother was "overprotective".
Police are now deciding whether the accomplices will face criminal charges.
