Not the bunny involved in this incident, but this one looks pretty belligerent too. (Michelle Makar Parker)

I don’t trust costumed animal mascots. Their enormous heads and soulless plastic eyes scare me. An incident at a New Jersey mall over the weekend showed that maybe this mistrust is justified, when a costumed Easter Bunny and a customer physically brawled over child safety issues.

NJ.com reports that according to police, the altercation began when a 1-year-old who had been posing with the bunny slipped out of the bunny throne. The man in the bunny suit explained to police that the child’s father attacked him physically and verbally.

What happened next happened to be captured by a mall-goer looking out over the lower-level display where the Easter Bunny was. (Note that there’s some strong language in the video, from its narrator since the bunny and aggrieved father were too far away to hear.)

Yes, someone called the police. As of this morning, local police said they hadn’t yet filed charges against anyone involved in the incident, since they were still talking to witnesses. At least there’s no shortage of those: it’s not every day that Peter Cottontail yanks off his furry gloves in front of hundreds of spectators.

N.J. mall Easter Bunny fight started after child slipped from chair, police say