A photo of the Statue of LIberty with an omnious looking cloud looming over it was believed to be taken during the Hurricane Sandy, went viral online on Facebook, but now its been reported that its fake.
The photo was first shared by Facebook user Jason Otts in Murphy, TX and has been shared over 156,000 times.
"This is an amazing shot of New York today with the Frankenstorm bearing down. Nature is so powerful, yet so beautiful," Otts first first wrote about the photo.
Several reports surfaced that the photo was indeed fake and shouldn't be taken seriously. Otts took to his Facebook page to clarify the mystery.
"Ok... apparently this pic has gone viral from my wall with 99,989 shares. In the last 15 minutes I have had like 200 people add me as a friend because of this pic. So I called the person who texted it to me and she then called her friend who is in New York and he told her that it was fake. So now I have 200 friends who like a photo that is fake on my wall. Funny, but awkward....," he wrote.
Check out a slideshow with real photos from Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey.
Meanwhile, the Statue of Liberty turned 126 years old on Sunday and was meant to open up again after undergoing a $30 million restoration. The 354 spiral steps were replaced with a safer - and not as steep - set of 393 steps, which still proves to be a strenuous 20 minute climb to the crown for an adult, according to the National parks Service.
The iconic statue symbolizing freedom was dedicated Oct. 28, 1886. The statue was closed Monday and today. It is expected to reopen Wednesday.
