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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A viral TikTok video has sparked a wave of jokes after a New York City resident captured the moment she watched singer Joe Jonas try to parallel-park for seven minutes.
The clip, shared by TikTok user Neha Nas, who posts as @neha.nas, included on-screen text that said: "I love New York because I’ve been watching Joe Jonas parallel park for the last 7 minutes." It played into a familiar city scenario where a driver faces a tight curbside spot and an audience forms.
Posted on December 7, the video quickly gained viral attention with more than 4.3 million views and even a comment from Jonas himself. In the comments, he shared a playful jab back at the TikTok poster and wrote: "And I saw you watch and not help once."
Read More on Life
Celebrity "caught in the wild" moments often gain fast attention online, especially when they revolve around everyday frustrations.
Millions Struggle With Parallel Parking
The Zebra insurance company found that about 49 percent of Americans experience what researchers dub "parallelophobia," the fear of parallel parking.
The anxiety is understandable. The maneuver demands slow-speed precision, spatial awareness and the confidence to perform under the gaze of impatient traffic.
That pressure can lead to rushed attempts and misjudged angles, increasing the likelihood of scrapes, curb strikes and other vehicle damage.
Not everyone struggles with parallel parking, though. In January 2015, the current Guinness World Record for the tightest parallel park was set. Alastair Moffatt, from the U.K., was driving a Fiat 500C when he performed the "tightest" parallel park on record at 2.95 inches.
I got my drivers license last week 😎 pic.twitter.com/Gamf4A8EGb
— J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) October 9, 2021
Joe Jonas is not the first person to go viral for a stressful parking attempt; in 2021, a woman went viral after spending minutes battling with a parking space—and a member of the public even offered to stand in and help.
As the video of Jonas’ parking attempt gained more attention, in the comments people shared their reactions.
"He’s a real one for not giving up, most of us would’ve just left," one commenter wrote, while another added, "the worst part of parallel parking is always the witnesses."
"Ngl [I'm not going to lie] I would cry if someone filmed me struggling to parallel park," said a third TikTok user in the comments. One viewer wrote: "You missed the perfect opportunity to parallel park Joe Jonas' car for him."
Newsweek reached out to Neha Nas and Joe Jonas via TikTok for comment. We were not able to verify the details of this story.
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