'Missing' Bronx Teen Admits She Staged Kidnapping: Reports

The 16-year-old New York City girl who was grabbed by several men and shoved into a car while walking in the Bronx borough with her mother has admitted to investigators that the apparent kidnapping was staged, The New York Times and CBS News reported Tuesday evening.

The confession came less than 24 hours after the New York Police Department released grainy surveillance footage showing Karol Sanchez being torn away from her mother. The information was posted as part of an Amber Alert.

Sanchez told police that she orchestrated the hoax because of her difficult relationship with her mother, whom she described as “overprotective,” the Times reported, citing two police officials.

The video, which shows Sanchez’s mother being pushed to the ground, went viral Monday night.

Sanchez turned herself into police at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to CBS New York. Later that afternoon, police announced that the teenager had been located “safe and unharmed.”

Police issued an Amber Alert on Tuesday morning after Sanchez was seen being grabbed off the street. The notification said that four men had forced Sanchez into a beige sedan and fled the scene about 11:20 p.m.

The NYPD initially offered a reward of up to $2,500 for any tips that led to Sanchez’s location.

Police brought Sanchez to the 40th Precinct station after she turned herself in. The teen told police that she worked with four accomplices to stage the kidnapping, CBS News reported.

Officials said Sanchez’s family has been considering moving back to Honduras, where they are originally from, but it was a plan Sanchez disagreed with, according to the Times. The conflict may have motivated the ruse.

Police are reportedly considering whether to charge Sanchez or her accomplices for the staged kidnapping.

Sanchez’s mother was not seriously injured during the hoax.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.