§ 240.50 Falsely reporting an incident in the third degree.
A person is guilty of falsely reporting an incident in the third
degree when, knowing the information reported, conveyed or circulated to
be false or baseless, he or she:
1. Initiates or circulates a false report or warning of an alleged
occurrence or impending occurrence of a crime, catastrophe or emergency
under circumstances in which it is not unlikely that public alarm or
inconvenience will result; or
2. Reports, by word or action, to an official or quasi-official agency
or organization having the function of dealing with emergencies
involving danger to life or property, an alleged occurrence or impending
occurrence of a catastrophe or emergency which did not in fact occur or
does not in fact exist; or
3. Gratuitously reports to a law enforcement officer or agency (a) the
alleged occurrence of an offense or incident which did not in fact
occur; or (b) an allegedly impending occurrence of an offense or
incident which in fact is not about to occur; or (c) false information
relating to an actual offense or incident or to the alleged implication
of some person therein; or
4. Reports, by word or action, an alleged occurrence or condition of
child abuse or maltreatment or abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person
which did not in fact occur or exist to:
(a) the statewide central register of child abuse and maltreatment, as
defined in title six of article six of the social services law or the
vulnerable persons’ central register as defined in article eleven of
such law, or
(b) any person required to report cases of suspected child abuse or
maltreatment pursuant to subdivision one of section four hundred
thirteen of the social services law or to report cases of suspected
abuse or neglect of a vulnerable person pursuant to section four hundred
ninety-one of such law, knowing that the person is required to report
such cases, and with the intent that such an alleged occurrence be
reported to the statewide central register or vulnerable persons’
central register.
Falsely reporting an incident in the third degree is a class A
misdemeanor.
