The fire hydrant was a propSourced
To stop cars blocking his restaurant,
he planted a fake fire hydrant.
New York restaurateur P. J. Moriarty placed a theatrical prop hydrant outside his restaurant in 1955 to deter parking. A police officer noticed it had vanished after ticketing a car. In court, Moriarty blamed leprechauns, and the charge against him was dismissed.
The hydrant kept cars away
without carrying any water.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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P. J. Moriarty · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-01