Cop Investigated for Slapping Man in Bunny Suit (VIDEO)

HOPATCONG, NJ — A New Jersey Police officer is under investigation for walloping a man dressed in a bunny suit who had arrived at the station to answer for an outstanding warrant. The bunny's brother caught the incident on video (of course), including the cop's delivery of at least two hearty slaps to the head.

In the nearly five-minute video, originally broadcast on Facebook Live and later uploaded to YouTube, Kevin Hemmerich is seen in the bunny suit standing in the waiting area of the Hopatcong police station. He gleefully holds up an air horn and blows it intermittently, giggling at first, then seeming to get bored with the exercise.

Eventually — about three and a half minutes into the video — an officer storms through a door, demanding, "Who's blowing the f------ air horn?"

"Me," Hemmerich says.

"Why you doin' that?" the officer replies.

"I don't know," Hemmerich says.

"You don't know?" the officer asks.

Without waiting to hear his answer, the officer gives Hammerlich a hefty blow across the face. A second officer comes into the room and apparently shuts off the video.

In an email to Patch, Hopatcong Lt. Thomas Kmetz said, "There will have to be an investigation by our Internal Affairs Officer and/or the Sussex County Prosecutors Office."

See video of the whole incident below. The slap happens around the 3:36 mark. Be warned, the video contains strong language:

The bunny beating has roots that go deeper than the Thursday incident.

Hemmerich, aka, the bunny, was wanted after he crashed his car while driving without insurance, Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told Patch. Hemmerich failed to serve a 12-day sentence, Mueller said, through the Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program, otherwise known as — we aren't kidding— "SLAP."

So why the stunt?

"It was just an idea he had," Hemmerich's brother, Jason, told Patch. "He thought the video idea would be funny. He pulled out the air horn and I just kind of went with it."

He also told Patch that Kevin recently hitchhiked across the country while wearing the bunny suit.

Kevin Hemmerich won't be hitchhiking any time soon, though. He's currently in Sussex County Jail on an outstanding, no-bail warrant, Mueller, the prosecutor, told Patch.

And Jason Hemmerich, the brother, may be in trouble, too. Jason said he was handed summonses and charged with harassment and obstruction.

Image captured via YouTube screenshot; video uploaded by Hopatcong Dank Memes