Fact Check

Was Cory Booker's Son Charged with Assault After Attack on Santa?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Dec. 24, 2019

 (Kelly Bell / Shutterstock)
Image Via Kelly Bell / Shutterstock
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Claim:
Senator Cory Booker’s son was charged with assault after he attacked a sidewalk Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

On Dec. 24, 2019, the "taters gonna tate" website published an article positing that the son of U.S. Senator Cory Booker was arrested on Christmas Eve for attacking a sidewalk Santa Claus:

The Democrats’ War on Christmas is never ending. It’s not just the politicians who fight the battles either. Their families are right in the thick of it, launching both verbal and physical assaults on the holiday spirit.

New Jersey Democrat Senator Cory Booker’s son is one of those eagerly fighting for the values he learned from his father. Elroy Booker flew into a rage this Christmas Eve as he walked down the streets of Hope, NJ, apparently upset by the massive display of Christmas cheer seen all over storefronts and on the people themselves.

When Elroy came across a sidewalk Santa Claus, collecting alms for charity, his seething anger was unleashed with a relentless assault on the kindly old elf. Those who witnessed the attack were horrified at its ferocity.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Article 6 of 7 in Collection

Sources

Gozinya, Rod.   "Cory Booker’s Son Charged with Assault After Attack on Santa."     tatersgonnatate.com   24 December 2019.

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.