An off-duty FDNY EMT who claimed he was slashed by muggers who stole his Christmas presents early Christmas morning made the whole thing up, according to police.

Steven Sampson, 41, told reporters he was on his way to a Christmas party at around 2 a.m. on Sunday when he was attacked by a group of men in ski masks, after pulling over at Bolton and Randall Avenues to rearrange his gifts. He claimed one of the attackers called him a "cracker" and stabbed him; he also said he beat up at least two other muggers and broke one's humerus in the fight. Sampson told police the muggers made off with about $2,600 in gifts, including a parrot drone for his 6-year-old daughter.

Cops say they were unable to confirm Sampson's tale, and yesterday he was arrested. "He gave so many different accounts of what happened, he’s no longer credible," a police source told the Post. The tabloid reports that Sampson did indeed sustain a stab wound, but it's unclear how he got it—his wife, meanwhile, told the Daily News, "There’s no false report. My husband was stabbed and he was robbed. He was not charged with anything."

He has in fact been charged with filing a false report and making a false written statement, according to the NYPD.