A Jeep Wrangler driver went viral on TikTok after sharing a scene that felt straight out of a cartoon: one of Target’s giant red balls had broken loose and was rolling wildly through the parking lot. Em (@whosthatgirllllll) caught the chaos on camera, posting a quick clip that’s now racked up more than 1.9 million views. In the video, the massive red sphere drifts away from the storefront and into the lot as stunned shoppers watch. Eventually, it made its way toward the cars, where several Target employees surrounded it—apparently guarding the runaway ball until someone could wrangle it back into place. Gallery: 2025 Jeep Wrangler Can This Actually Happen? Yes—and it’s happened before. Those giant red balls outside Target aren’t just for show. Each one weighs around two tons, and when they get loose, they can do real damage. In 2017, a surveillance camera outside a Target in New Jersey caught one of the massive concrete balls breaking free after a pickup truck bumped into it. The footage shows the ball rolling straight into traffic before slamming into a moving car. A man even jumped out of his vehicle—dog in tow—to stop it from causing more chaos. The incident reportedly caused thousands of dollars in damage. The driver whose car was hit filed a claim with Target’s insurance, but it was denied. After the local ABC affiliate aired the video and asked the company to reconsider, Target still wouldn’t budge. The woman later said she planned to take the case to small claims court. It turned out the runaway ball wasn’t a one-time fluke. The same news station found that just days earlier, another bollard at the same Target location had also broken loose. When pressed, Target confirmed it was aware of the incidents and promised to inspect the rest of the barriers, though it declined to say whether anyone had been injured. According to the lawsuit that followed, Target "knew or should have known" the red balls could pose a hazard. The very features designed to protect shoppers from cars ended up being the source of the danger. Viewers Can’t Believe Their Eyes People who saw Em’s viral clip could hardly wrap their heads around what they were watching. "IVE BEEN WAITING A LIFETIME TO ACTUALLY SEE THAT HAPPEN!" one viewer shouted in disbelief. Another called it "my childhood dreams and nightmares coming true." Others had long wondered whether those massive concrete balls could actually move, with one person admitting, "Today, after 28 years, I got my answer." Some commenters joked that the moment proved them right all along. "MY MOM ALWAYS TOLD ME I WAS BEING IRRATIONAL," one wrote. "I didn’t think this was possible," said another. The reactions didn’t stop there. Many were equally amused by how calm the employees and bystanders seemed as the runaway ball caused chaos. "The walkie talkie ‘we got a loose Target ball in the parking lot,’" one person imagined. Another cracked up at "the workers standing around it," while someone else said, "The ‘oh no’ is sending me." And of course, a few pointed out the man who just walked by without intervening. "Of course that man didn’t stop to help," one woman remarked. Motor1 has reached out to Em via a direct message on TikTok and to Target by email. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team