New Jersey residents panicked when a giant spongebob squarepants broke loose from the Thanksgiving parade in the city and terrorised NJ neighbourhoods.

After kicking down a few Tower blocks in gentrified Hoboken, Spongebob went on wreaking havoc in various neighbourhoods while avoiding downtown Newark, which is simply too dangerous even for Spongebob.

Spongebob, along with other giant Smurf and Pokemon balloons, were thought by many Jerseyites to be invaders from Mars. The panic generated was much like that triggered by Orson Welles famous 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast of 1938.

Malls emptied across the state and even the buffet at the Secaucus branch of Sizzlers was deserted as Spongebob floated overhead.

Staten Island was sealed off to prevent a mass exodus to this leafy garden suburb of New York and there was chaos on the Verrazano Narrows bridge as a Godzilla got caught on one the bridge towers.