What to Know Instagram user @hellcatloco was on FDR Drive when he noticed a man driving a car full of clowns

When he got closer he saw the clowns were clown masks pulled over the headrests of the seats

When he put the video on Instagram, people joked that the man was using the clown masks to get around carpool laws

Has this gentleman come up with a unique way to use New York's high occupancy lanes? Or is he just clowning around?

While driving south on FDR Drive last Wednesday, Instagram user @hellcatloco saw something that caught his attention. A man was cruising down the road in a white convertible -- top down -- with three unique-looking passengers in his car.

Getting closer, the witness saw the curly red hair and maroon mop of the man's passengers were not in fact human, but were of the clown-mask variety. The masks were pulled over the headrests, making them look almost life-like. A body had even been fashioned for one of the clowns, and a bright-yellow arm flopped out of the car, nonchalant, replete with a gloved hand.



"When I noticed him I had to pull out the camera immediately," the witness said.

As the videographer passes the man, he sees he is also wearing a big red clown nose, while puffing on a cigarette.

When @hellcatloco posted the video to Instagram, some commented that New Yorks car pool lanes were "no joke." "Gotta do what you gotta do!" they said.

Under New York's high occupancy vehicle lane laws, drivers with passengers are allowed to use faster lanes. There are HOV lanes all over the city, including the Manhattan Bridge and the Gowanus Expressway. Most HOV lanes require a minimum of two or three people per vehicle during certain periods of the day.

But a warning to anyone trying to flout the laws: if a cop sees a vehicle driving in an HOV lane with just a driver and no passengers (or a faux passenger) during the restricted times, the driver may be issued a summons.

Drivers can face a two point violation.