By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Brutal subway beating or April Fool's Day hoax?
An improv joke purportedly gone awry ended up with an actor dressed as a "Star Wars" character getting pummeled on a subway car after trying to prank some straphangers.
The comedy group Improv Everywhere, which has staged pants-less subway rides and other attention-seeking public stunts, posted a video of its latest effort online Friday, which also happens to be April Fool's Day.
The video shows an actor dressed as universally reviled "Stars Wars" character Jar Jar Binks frantically boarding a Lexington Avenue subway car in Manhattan flailing his arms and bumping into passengers.
But before the performer can fully get into his a routine, a trio of burly riders annoyed by the display react by bum-rushing Jar Jar, and then flee the train when another performer dressed as the character Darth Maul enters at the next stop.
Improv Everywhere founder Charlie Todd added a disclaimer at the end of the video saying the joke did not go as planned.
"Obviously this video did not turn out at all like we wanted it to. We were not going to post it on YouTube at all, but the actor playing Jar Jar Binks has decided he wants to press charges against these three guys who jumped him."
The incident appears to have occurred on the 6 train near the Bleecker Street stop.
Improv Everywhere has a history of posting fake videos on April Fool's Day, and many viewers on Facebook didn't take the bait.
"It amazes me how many people take their April fools videos so seriously," one commenter wrote. "Calm down people they do it every year. [T]hey are just having fun!"
Another commented added that he recognized one of the assailants as a performer with the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe, an improv group Todd performs with.
A request for comment from Improv Everywhere was not immediately returned. The MTA said it had no knowledge of the incident.
