Authorities quickly confirmed that no explosion had taken place but the faked images spread on Twitter for a short time. The incident briefly sent the stock market lower.

The fact it was hoodwinked into sisterhood with a fictional city means that Newark, N.J., is more trusting and innocent than one would think.

Sherri Papini disappeared in 2016, triggering a three-week multi-state search. When she resurfaced, she told authorities an elaborate lie about being abducted and tortured by two Hispanic women.