Latest news with #ChapmanHamborg
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Southern California father mistaken for homeless man while walking baby has cops called on him
A Huntington Beach father who was walking with his baby said he was stunned after a neighbor had mistaken him for a homeless man and called the police. Chapman Hamborg, 32, is a young father of four children and an artist who manages his own studio in the city. He was taking his usual morning walk with his newborn daughter in a baby sling when police officers suddenly pulled up and approached him. They received a call from a neighbor who claimed Hamborg was a homeless man with a stolen baby. The woman reportedly got into her car and followed him to his home. When police asked Hamborg to provide identification that he indeed lived at the home, that's when he began recording the interaction. The video was shared on his Instagram page and has since been viewed over 50 million times. In the video, Hamborg is heard telling his wife what was happening and she responded in amused disbelief. At the time, Hamborg was dressed casually in sweatpants and a fleece jacket. He had a beard and his long hair was tied back into a bun. He tells police that he's surprised his neighbors haven't already seen him as he walks around the neighborhood several times a day. The officer tells Hamborg the woman who reported him lives one street over from his house. Hamborg said he's not upset about the misunderstanding and acknowledges that, being a tired parent to a newborn may have left him looking a little scruffier than usual. 'I am a little disheveled,' he said with a laugh. 'I hadn't gotten ready for the day yet. I had my hair up in my messy bed head. My pants were a little baggy and there was a hole in my slipper.' Despite looking a bit unkempt, Hamborg said he's still quite stunned over the incident. 'I was really shocked and felt embarrassed by it all,' he said. After Hamborg's social media post about the incident went viral, he said it inspired him to think more about the issues and stigma surrounding homelessness. 'These stereotypes of what homeless people may look like can actually be harmful,' he said. So, Hamburg decided to take action and make the most of his newfound attention. He's selling limited edition prints of his painting, 'Unseen Paths,' and donating 20 percent of the proceeds to Orange County United Way's homeless outreach. 'This has been an incredible opportunity to engage with the public and help to debunk some of the myths and misinformation that people have about homelessness,' explained Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of Orange County United Way's United to End Homelessness initiative. Hamborg said the incident puts a spotlight on the hardships that parents and individuals who are actually homeless experience daily while being targeted or discriminated against. He said he's thankful to turn his situation into a positive one and not just raise money, but also raise awareness for an important issue that affects many communities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
6 days ago
- General
- New York Post
California dad has police called on him after neighbor mistakes him for homeless man stealing baby: ‘I need to work on my appearance'
A 'tired' California dad out on a routine walk with his newborn baby had the police called on him by a concerned neighbor, who feared he had kidnapped the child. Chapman Hamborg, 33, was walking around his neighborhood in Huntington Beach with his daughter Florence in a baby wrap carrier on April 22, as he had done multiple times before to give his wife a little break, according to his Instagram post. Hamborg didn't bother changing out of his baggy brown Patagonia jacket, stained jeans, or tattered slippers when he embarked on his brief walk in the residential area. 5 Chapman Hamborg's neighbor called police after mistaking him for a homeless man with a baby in April. @thehamborgs/Instagram His shaggy-looking appearance led a 'lady' to mistake him for a homeless man and call the cops on the father of four, believing he had stolen the newborn, and allegedly follow Hamborg to his home. 'I am surprised all of my neighbors haven't seen me and recognize me by now,' he wrote. Authorities later arrived at Hamborg's home and questioned him over his daily walk, NBC Los Angeles reported. 'Were you going for a walk? Is this baby or something? Your neighbors saw you and thought you were homeless,' Hamborg recalled the officers asking him. 'Nope, not homeless. Just a tired dad.' 5 His shaggy-looking appearance led a 'lady' to mistake him for a homeless man and call the cops on the father of four, believing he had stolen the newborn, and allegedly follow Hamborg to his home. @thehamborgs/Instagram After his wife, Hannah, assured police he was the father, Hamborg said they all got a kick out of the mix-up. Hamborg, who's an artist and art teacher in Huntington Beach, shared the video on social media, racking up over 50 million views since late April. The young dad didn't stress too much over it and made light of the situation. 5 Authorities later arrived at Hamborg's home and questioned him about his daily walk. @thehamborgs/Instagram 'Apparently I need to work on my appearance—I guess being an artist or a tired dad isn't a valid excuse,' he wrote. After the incident went viral, Hamborg told People that he never received an apology from the neighbor. While he's unsure who she is, he did say she was sitting in her car across from his house while he spoke to the officer. 'I would love to meet the neighbor who called the police – not to shame her, but to thank her for being vigilant,' Hamborg said, showing an open-minded approach to the situation,' Hamborg said. 5 Hamborg, who's an artist and art teacher in Huntington Beach, shared the video on social media, racking up over 50 million views since late April. NBC4 Following the viral attention he received, Hamborg posted a follow-up video in which he asked his older kids if they agreed that he looked homeless while wearing the same outfit from his original post to which they all agreed. He also addressed some of the critics who attacked him over his appearance. 'Some comments a little mean, being like 'Have some self-respect, how you walking out in public like that?' Which my response is: when my baby is crying I am focused on comforting her and not what I look like,'' the young dad wrote. However, Hamborg used the recognition he got from the incident to highlight the issue of homelessness. 5 While he's unsure who she is, he did say she was sitting in her car across from his house while he spoke to the officer. @thehamborgs/Instagram The artist partnered with the United Way of Orange County, a nonprofit organization that works to end homelessness, to sell limited-edition prints of his new painting, he shared on Instagram in May. The piece, called 'Unseen Path,' is a painting of himself carrying two of his children. He donated 20% of the proceeds to help fight homelessness. Hamborg said he would accept an apology from the neighbor who called the cops on him, but the ability to help make a change from the incident made it all worthwhile. 'I would like to use it as an opportunity to get to know my neighbor and to be thankful that she's looking out for our kids or the neighborhood,' Hamborg told People. 'Rather than, you know, turning it into a divisive thing.'
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Someone called police on a ‘homeless' man with a baby. Turns out he was a father out for a stroll
Huntington Beach artist Chapman Hamborg is still dealing with the circumstances around his viral Instagram reel in his own unique way. A neighbor called the police on Hamborg as he went on a morning walk around the neighborhood with his infant daughter last month, trying to give his wife, Hannah, some time to relax. His long hair was in a bun, his clothes were worn and one of his slippers had a hole in it. The neighbor thought Hamborg was homeless. A police officer came to his home near Sowers Middle School on that Good Friday morning to investigate. 'When he explained what happened, that someone had called the cops on me thinking I was a homeless person, then had followed me back to my house, I was shocked,' Hamborg said. 'I couldn't believe it at first. I was trying to laugh it off, I guess, and then he asked for my ID. I came inside, and that's when I started recording the video, when I was looking for my ID and telling my wife what was going on.' Hamborg is still carrying the youngest of his four children in a baby sling in the video, which immediately exploded in popularity. Hamborg, 32, is trying to turn the misunderstanding into a positive. He's selling limited edition prints of his original painting, 'Unseen Paths,' with 20% of the proceeds going to support Orange County United Way's homelessness efforts. The painting was made before the incident but depicts Hamborg similarly, with two of his children. He explained that the flowers in the background are actually invasive yellow mustard flowers. 'It looks like this beautiful scene, but there's kind of this darker undertone to it, at least to me personally,' he said. 'When this whole experience happened, I thought that painting and those aspects about it are even more true for unhoused families, which I was mistaken for being. The imagery and the meaning behind the painting already lined up, and I wanted to connect it to the story and the conversation that was already happening from the video around people experiencing homelessness.' A mutual friend introduced Hamborg to Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of Orange County United Way's United to End Homelessness initiative. Hamborg and Heyhoe-Khalil will be guests at an Orange County Museum of Art 'Conversations with Artists' event on Wednesday at 4 p.m., hosted by Heidi Zuckerman, OCMA's chief executive and director. No registration is needed. They will also host a special livestream event titled 'Art and Advocacy: A Studio Conversation with Chapman Hamborg,' on June 21 at 9 a.m., from his Hamborg Academy of Art studio in Huntington Beach. 'Chapman's curiosity around homelessness has been something so wonderful to engage with,' Heyhoe-Khalil said. 'Getting to know Chapman and just the beautiful heart that he has and the compassion that he has, the desire to use this for the greater good, it fit beautifully with the mission we have at United to End Homelessness at United Way. It's been a really natural way to collaborate.' According to a 2023 UCI-OC poll, 71% of Orange County residents see homelessness as a 'serious problem,' with affordable housing close behind at 69%. As of March, there were 410 families experiencing homelessness in Orange County registered with its family Coordinated Entry System, Heyhoe-Khalil said. That total included 715 children, with 244 of those under the age of 5. 'They've provided all of their documentation, they've done everything that the homelessness system has asked them to do to help them get connected to housing,' she said. Things are not exactly getting easier for them. Emergency housing vouchers that have been available since 2021 are reportedly set to run out of funding next year. Additionally, President Trump has proposed cuts to federal rental assistance. 'One of the things I love about what Chapman is doing is helping open people's eyes, ask questions and challenging assumptions,' Heyhoe-Khalil said. 'Many of the people who have watched the video online have said, 'You do look like you're homeless.' The flip side of that is that they're walking past people, driving past people every day who don't look like they're experiencing homelessness but who are, and they have no idea.' Hamborg realizes the circumstances around that April morning were complicated, not black and white. He said he thinks he knows the identity of his neighbor who called the police, but he's not exactly sure. He wants to talk to her, not to scold her but partially to thank her for her vigilance. 'She's a neighbor concerned for the safety of the baby and the neighborhood, but also, it's crazy for people who are dealing with homelessness to have to deal with this kind of stuff,' he said. 'What if it was a great parent who is trying to get their baby to sleep but they happen to be unhoused? Why should the cops be called on them? Just because they're experiencing homelessness doesn't mean that the baby is in danger, or that the mom is a bad mom or the dad is a bad dad.' Hamborg said his father instilled in him compassion for the homeless. Now he's using that compassion to try and spark a bigger conversation. In his viral Instagram video, he asked, 'If you saw me would you have thought I was homeless?' About two-thirds of the more than 500,000 poll respondents have voted, 'No.' Of course, his association with the video also has to be considered. A People magazine article has also heightened his celebrity. 'I went to the grocery store and got stopped a few times by people asking if I was the homeless guy,' Hamborg said. 'They were very excited to meet me, which was interesting. It was funny. I'm like, 'Yeah, that's me.' 'I'm just glad that this whole conversation is taking place. It's cool to see fruit come from it already, whether it's me selling paintings and the business growing, and then people having conversations about this important topic.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Awkward moment 'tired' dad is mistaken for homeless person by cops as he walked with his daughter
A California dad was mistakenly identified as homeless and questioned by police while walking with his newborn daughter. Chapman Hamborg, 33, was out on a morning walk with his daughter, Florence, on April 22 when a neighbor, concerned by his unkempt appearance, called 911 to report a possible homeless person in the area. Hamborg, a father of four, says he takes multiple walks a day to give his wife a break. On that particular morning, he was wearing a brown Patagonia jacket, his hair pulled back in a loose bun, with a hole in his slipper and clothes stained with paint. When he returned home from his second walk that morning, it was his oldest son who pointed out the police car parked in front of their Huntington Beach home. At first, Hamborg wondered if the police were called on his family, though he wasn't sure why as he and the officer met halfway down the lawn, exchanging confused looks. 'Were you going for a walk? Is this your baby? One of your neighbors saw you and thought you were homeless,' Hamborg recalled the officer asking to NBC Los Angeles. 'Nope, not homeless. Just a tired dad,' Hamborg replied. The father was surprised the neighbors didn't recognize him, as he regularly takes his baby on walks. 'She's in her fussy newborn stage, so I take her on lots of walks in the baby carrier,' Hamborg told People. 'I go out at all times of the day - it's kind of a routine to give my wife some rest.' After providing his ID, Hamborg, his wife, Hannah, and the officer laughed off the situation, which was captured in a now viral video. 'Apparently, I need to work on my appearance,' Hamborg joked, adding that the neighbor who called the police had even suspected he'd stolen the baby. 'I guess being an artist or a tired dad isn't a valid excuse,' he quipped. Hamborg posted the viral moment to Instagram, where it has since garnered over 40 million views. 'POV: your neighbor calls the cops reporting a homeless man with a stolen baby!' he captioned the post. In the wake of the mistaken identity, Hamborg launched a fundraiser by selling limited edition prints of his painting Unseen Paths, which depicts the weight of carrying one's children. A portion of the proceeds, 20 percent, will benefit United Way of Orange County, a nonprofit that supports unhoused individuals and families. 'It's about the weight of carrying your kids - through struggles, through uncertainty, and through everyday life,' Hamborg wrote. 'For unhoused families, that challenge is even greater, but the love and responsibility remain just as strong.' As the video continued to gain attention, many viewers questioned the neighbor's decision to call the police. 'What if you were homeless? Is it illegal to walk and have a baby and be homeless?' one user commented. 'It's mostly weird cause she assumed you were homeless and then watched you walk into a home and still called the police,' one person commented. Another wrote: 'Parenthood literally has us all looking unhoused and unkempt.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hannah & Chapman Hamborg (@thehamborgs) Following the incident, Hamborg never received an apology from the neighbor who called the police. Though he is unsure of her identity, he noticed her sitting in her car across from his house while he was speaking to the officer. 'I would love to meet the neighbor who called the police - not to shame her, but to thank her for being vigilant,' Hamborg said, showing an open-minded approach to the situation. As of now, several of the 80 limited edition prints have been sold, with a portion of the funds supporting the nonprofit's mission.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach man using ‘homeless' moment to spread awareness
Huntington Beach artist Chapman Hamborg is still dealing with the circumstances around his viral Instagram reel in his own unique way. A neighbor called the police on Hamborg as he went on a morning walk around the neighborhood with his infant daughter last month, trying to give his wife Hannah some time to relax. His long hair was in a bun, his clothes were worn and one of his slippers had a hole in it. The neighbor thought Hamborg was homeless. A police officer did come to his home near Sowers Middle School on that Good Friday morning to investigate. 'When he explained what happened, that someone had called the cops on me thinking I was a homeless person then had followed me back to my house, I was shocked,' Hamborg said. 'I couldn't believe it at first. I was trying to laugh it off, I guess, and then he asked for my ID. I came inside, and that's when I started recording the video, when I was looking for my ID and telling my wife what was going on.' Hamborg is still carrying the youngest of his four children in a baby sling in the video, which immediately exploded in popularity. As of Friday, it had nearly two million likes and more than 32,000 comments. Hamborg, 32, is trying to turn the misunderstanding into a positive. He's selling limited edition prints of his original painting, 'Unseen Paths,' with 20% of the proceeds going to support Orange County United Way's homelessness efforts. The prints are available at Hamborg's website, The painting was made before the incident but depicts Hamborg similarly, with two of his children. He explained that the flowers in the background are actually invasive yellow mustard flowers. 'It looks like this beautiful scene, but there's kind of this darker undertone to it, at least to me personally,' he said. 'When this whole experience happened, I thought that painting and those aspects about it are even more true for unhoused families, which I was mistaken for being. The imagery and the meaning behind the painting already lined up, and I wanted to connect it to the story and the conversation that was already happening from the video around people experiencing homelessness.' A mutual friend introduced Hamborg to Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of Orange County United Way's United to End Homelessness initiative. Hamborg and Heyhoe-Khalil will be guests at an Orange County Museum of Art 'Conversations with Artists' event on June 4 at 4 p.m., hosted by Heidi Zuckerman, OCMA's chief executive and director. No registration is needed. They will also host a special livestream event titled 'Art and Advocacy: A Studio Conversation with Chapman Hamborg,' on June 21 at 9 a.m., from his Hamborg Academy of Art studio in Huntington Beach. 'Chapman's curiosity around homelessness has been something so wonderful to engage with,' Heyhoe-Khalil said. 'Getting to know Chapman and just the beautiful heart that he has and the compassion that he has, the desire to use this for the greater good, it fit beautifully with the mission we have at United to End Homelessness at United Way. It's been a really natural way to collaborate.' According to a 2023 UCI-OC poll, 71% of O.C. residents see homelessness as a 'serious problem,' with affordable housing close behind at 69%. As of March, there were 410 families experiencing homelessness in Orange County registered with its family Coordinated Entry System, Heyhoe-Khalil said. That total included 715 children, with 244 of those under the age of 5. 'They've provided all of their documentation, they've done everything that the homelessness system has asked them to do to help them get connected to housing,' she said. Things are not exactly getting easier for them. Emergency housing vouchers that have been available since 2021 are reportedly set to run out of funding next year. Additionally, President Trump has proposed cuts to federal rental assistance. 'One of the things I love about what Chapman is doing is helping open people's eyes, ask questions and challenging assumptions,' Heyhoe-Khalil said. 'Many of the people who have watched the video online have said, 'You do look like you're homeless.' The flip side of that is that they're walking past people, driving past people every day who don't look like they're experiencing homelessness but who are, and they have no idea.' Hamborg realizes the circumstances around that April morning were complicated, not black and white. He said he thinks he knows the identity of his neighbor who called the police, but he's not exactly sure. He wants to talk to her, not to scold her but partially to thank her for her vigilance. 'She's a neighbor concerned for the safety of the baby and the neighborhood, but also, it's crazy for people who are dealing with homelessness to have to deal with this kind of stuff,' he said. 'What if it was a great parent who is trying to get their baby to sleep but they happen to be unhoused? Why should the cops be called on them? Just because they're experiencing homelessness doesn't mean that the baby is in danger, or that the mom is a bad mom or the dad is a bad dad.' Hamborg said his father instilled in him compassion for the homeless. Now he's using that compassion to try and spark a bigger conversation. In his viral Instagram video, he asked, 'If you saw me would you have thought I was homeless?' About two-thirds of the more than 500,000 poll respondents have voted, 'No.' Of course, his association with the video also has to be considered. A People Magazine article has also heightened his celebrity. 'I went to the grocery store [Monday] and got stopped a few times by people asking if I was the homeless guy,' Hamborg said. 'They were very excited to meet me, which was interesting. It was funny. I'm like, 'Yeah, that's me.' 'I'm just glad that this whole conversation is taking place. It's cool to see fruit come from it already, whether it's me selling paintings and the business growing, and then people having conversations about this important topic.'
