A passerby had a nasty surprise Monday, after he came across what appeared to be a human finger in a downtown lane way. 

The man flagged down police near University Ave. and Lower Simcoe St. at about 12:44. The finger looked “pretty good”, police said, and was easily mistaken for the real thing. 

But after slapping on the blue gloves and going after the blood-stained digit, it became clear the finger was made of rubber and paper mache, not flesh.

The source of the gore was soon discovered. The lane way played host to a movie shoot over the weekend, said police, “and they didn’t sweep it up.”