Woman plays halloween prank on coworker and makes her cry. AITA?

When this employee feels guilty about an innocent work prank, they ask the internet:

"AITA for Halloween Pranking My Coworker And Making Her Cry?"

So, I might have taken an innocent prank way too far, and now I'm wondering if I'm the AH. I work in a small office and my coworker, let's call her Lisa, is absolutely terrified of spiders.

She jumps on her desk at the sight of even the tiniest spider, and everyone in the office knows it. So, of course, with Halloween coming up, I thought it would be hilarious to play a innocent prank on her.

I found some pretty realistic fake spiders online and bought a whole bunch of them. Over the course of last week, I strategically placed them around her desk, in her drawer, on her chair – you name it. At first, she was startled but brushed it off. I thought it was all in good fun.

However, I think I may have gone too far today. So instead of just one of two, I decides to put a whole handful of the spiders in Lisa's desk drawer. I guess this was too much for her, because when she opened the drawer, she screamed, started crying, and had a full-blown panic attack.

I immediately rushed over to explain it was just a prank, but the damage was done. She's genuinely traumatized by the experience, and now she won't even look at me.

My other coworkers say I went too far, and I feel terrible about how scared Lisa got. So, AITA for pranking my coworker with fake spiders and making her cry, even though it was meant to be harmless fun? AITA?

Let's see what readers thought.

guesty7 writes:

YTA. One or two was enough, and then it seems like you took it to the extreme. Some people (including myself) have an extreme fear of them. She isn't your friend or family member, she is a co-worker. What you did was cruel, let alone unprofessional.

908wtt writes:

NTA. As usual everyone on this sub needs to relax. It's a prank it's not that serious. coworker needs to calm down and grow up.

boday writes:

YTA. As someone who hates 8 legged things and has panic attacks about them, you are an enormous AH. A prank is only funny if everyone laughs. Just coz she laughed a 1 sitting, doesnt mean you torture the poor woman by continuing. If I was her I would have you reported for bullying coz that exactly what it is. Grow up.

upgdsga7 writes:

Wow, YTA. I'm sorry for her, and I hope you get fired.

galfyu writes:

You know, considering a judge accepted as part of my sister’s reasoning for requesting a divorce was the fact that her husband would not stop “pranking” me with fake spider and triggering panic attacks and flashbacks related to being locked in a closet full of them as a small child (my bio father was severely abusive to me and my two sisters for six years),

I think the y t a vote is not even going far enough. Arachnophobia can be very severe. In my case, it is actually one of the conditions listed in my Social Security approval. There was a scene in a movie, i think it was one of the Tolkien franchise, with huge spiders. I panicked so bad, even with my eyes closed and covered by my husband, just from HEARING the scene, I had to leave. It’s not funny. It’s not a joke.

I truly hope you get fired for this.

Idk how to do it, but I feel like this guy should qualify for the you’re the devil sub…