Why won't my car lights go out when the battery is unplugged?

A few weeks ago, my Ford Windstar's alternator died, and it has been sitting in the driveway ever since. This afternoon, I got in it to get out a few things. At about 10pm tonight, I noticed that the headlights had mysteriously turned on. I went out to flip switches, only to have the entire dash light up with different flashing symbols. I couldn't get them to turn off, so I unplugged the battery. It seemed that solved the problem but, low and behold, a few minutes ago, I noticed that the headlights are back on… Even though the battery is still unplugged. How is this even possible?

Put down the beer and step away from the vehicle.

Did you make sure the battery cables aren't 'accidentally' making contact with the battery? If you need to, strap them down somewhere so they don't come in contact with the battery.

Don't tell the power companies. You'll never hear the end of it.

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