THE Timothée Chalamet The lookalike contest organized on October 27, 2024 at Washington Square Park could be my favorite viral moment of this year — complete with about 20 rat boy lookalikespolice arrests and an appearance by the real Timmy himself.

At the center of this chaos was Matt Mannixa 24-year-old Manhattan resident who found himself handcuffed.

Matt’s arrest quickly became one of the most viral scenes of the competition, with videos of the arrest appearing all over TikTok. “It’s absolutely wild,” he said Teen Vogue.

“I didn’t expect this to happen at all.”

The event was hosted by YouTube personality Antoine Po and was supposed to be a silly, goofy gathering. The winner of the contest received an illustrious $50 for their image and the bragging rights of being next to the white boy of the month. A 21-year-old from Staten Island portion Wonka Tommy won and said he would spend his winnings on candy. As he should.

However, the competition quickly spiraled out of control when hundreds of people arrived at the park, ready to see which floppy-haired boy would take home the crown. THE New York Police Department responded to what they described as an “unanticipated demonstration.”

The New York Times reported that four people were arrested, including Matt, who received four summonses for various charges: two charges of failing to obey instructions from park staff, police officers or park signs, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

“I was just standing there,” Matt explained of his experience at the event. “I didn’t even know if there was an official registration process or what.”

Chaos ensued when he was approached by a police officer who pushed him forward without warning. “I kept asking him, ‘Am I being detained?’ Am I being detained?’ “, he remembers. “And all this time he doesn’t respond.”

As fate would have it, Matt was taken away just as the real Timmy was making his way through the crowd. “I knew he was there, but I didn’t realize the timing or how close he was when he was passing,” Matt said.

“It’s really hilarious. It’s really surreal. Bless him!

Matt was taken to the police station where he was held in a cell for an hour and a half and served his summons.

“They took me straight to the police station. They threw me in a cell. Yeah, they were really forceful in the way they wanted to search me and everything. And they were clearly very angry with me.

Matt shared that after everything happened, the event organizer, Anthony Po, contacted his doppelganger. Anthony was fined $500 by police for running the competition without a permit.

Matt now has the upcoming court appearances to deal with, but he’s taking the whole situation like absolutely legendary TBH. “It’s so absurd,” he mused of his newfound notoriety.

He even draws some weight from the chaos. “I just saw someone who works with HBO ask to book a casting call for me,” he explained.

Personally, I’d love a show where a bunch of Timmys fight to the metaphorical death for a meeting with the real Timmy, so get on HBO!

Main image: Daily Mail/Matt Mannix/TikTok