Albert Lea Police Talk Down Spider Monkey Called McNugget 'Hanging Out' in the Cold
Police in Albert Lea, Minnesota, answered a report of a suspicious character "hanging out — literally" early on Saturday and found McNugget, a runaway spider monkey. After some negotiation she warmed up in a patrol car and went home with her owner.
Most police call-outs about a “suspicious character” end with a stern word. In Albert Lea, Minnesota, early on Saturday 14 November, one ended with a monkey in a blanket.
According to the Albert Lea Police Department, officers went to a report of a suspicious character “hanging out — literally”. The suspect turned out to be McNugget, a spider monkey who had got loose and was out in the cold. Not ideal for an animal more used to rainforests than a Minnesota November.
AI illustration – the negotiations begin. Not the actual event. (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
The department’s tongue-in-cheek Facebook post, quoted by FOX 9, claimed McNugget “asked for a lawyer and a banana. In that order.” Talks were evidently tough but fair: police said she was “friendly, cooperative (after some negotiation), and happy to warm up in a squad car”.
AI illustration – custody, but make it cosy. Not the actual event. Can you spot Gaz? #WheresGaz (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
There was no charge sheet, just a happy ending. McNugget has been safely reunited with her owner, police said, and the pair were heading home down the interstate. No word on whether the banana was ever supplied – or whether her name was a factor in the “negotiation”.
Sources: KTTC (14 Nov 2026) · FOX 9 (14 Nov 2026) · KAAL ABC 6 News – all based on a post by the Albert Lea Police Department.
Image credits: Top photo: Charles J. Sharp (Sharp Photography), “Geoffroy’s spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis) Peten”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (representative, cropped; not McNugget). Illustrations: Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated, not real photos.
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