High school seniors pull off 'epic' prank, convince Maryland town a Trader Joe's is coming

A group of high school seniors pulled off the prank of a lifetime last month, tricking some residents of a small Maryland suburb that a new Trader Joe’s was coming to town. 

Marlena Calobong, a health coach, was one of them, telling USA TODAY Wednesday that she was completely fooled by the huge yellow banner, which came complete with a TJ’s logo and QR code. 

“It really looked legit. [They] had to have put a lot of time into this,” Calobong said of the poster, which she spotted on April 30 in stationed in a patch of grass in the middle of a roadway in Pasadena, a census designated place just north of Annapolis. 

It didn’t take long for Calobong, a self-described Trader Joe’s enthusiast, to post about it on Facebook. She hoped to share the good news with clients in the area, who have to drive a little bit further to get to TJ’s. 

Clients and followers who lived in the Pasadena area were quick to let know Calobong know that she had been pranked, telling her that Northeast High School’s Class of 2024 was behind the banner. 

Calobong took it took like a champ, writing on Facebook a day later, “To my Pasadena friends…. Yesterday the Senior class of our local high school pranked the ENTIRE town!” 

Class of 2024 pulls of one ‘epic’ prank

Pasadena residents, who were “abuzz” with excitement eventually caught on, realizing that they had been targets of prank as soon as they scanned the QR code on the banner. 

“They hung a banner in front of an empty grocery store property that said "Coming Soon: Trader Joes" with a QR code that Rick-Rolls you ("Never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley),” according to Calobong’s post.

Many were disappointed to find out that a Trader Joe’s wasn’t actually going to be built in Pasadena, but couldn’t help but commend the Class of 2024 for a prank well done. 

“That is an awesome senior prank, not gonna lie,” Christina Marie Schram wrote in the comments.

Others were a little more wistful, writing about the great fun they could have had with “cell phones and advanced internet.” 

“My youngest son is going to think this is "epic". He Rick-Rolls me at least a few times a week,” Melisa Keeton write. 

Alyssa Smith, a local realtor, also made a post, telling everyone that she, too, thought a Trader Joe’s was coming to the Pasadena area.

“Well played Northeast High School seniors. If you are a victim of the senior prank that a Trader Joe’s is coming to Pasadena, raise your hard.” 

@Lucas_v_thegolden wrote in the TikTok comments that they were also fooled and were very excited about the construction of a new Trader Joe’s in town. 

“Everybody though it was a great joke. People were like ‘That was a great joke, they got us.’ We’re sad that it's not really true, but great job on pranking the entire town," Calobong said.

It's not immediately how many Northeast High School seniors participated in the prank or what led up to it. And Northeast High School declined to comment.

No plans made to open a Trader Joe’s in Pasadena, but it could happen

Nakia Rohde, a Trader Joe's spokesperson said they do not have a location "confirmed" to be built in Pasadena, but that the company was "actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year." 

Calobong, who lives between Annapolis and Pasadena, says the news of the prank made her sad for her Pasadena clients. 

“Today, I did my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's in Annapolis. And so, it would have been nice for my clients that are in that Pasadena area because I always give them great ideas on how to shop on a budget. And it's mostly organic, so it's nice. I’m sure a lot of people are sad it's not true.”