The prankster who left a bone-chilling teddy bear outside a Southern California convenience store — sparking hysteria with its eerie faux-human-skin stitching — has been arrested … after he tipped off authorities himself.

Hector Corona Villanueva was arrested and booked Monday on suspicion of filing a false emergency report himself and planting fake evidence to make it appear real, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department news release.

The department said incidents like this waste valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, potentially delaying response times to real emergencies.

We reported on it yesterday … San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies rushed to a Victorville gas station Sunday — about two hours north of L.A. — after someone reported possible human remains … which turned out to be the teddy bear.

Cops taped off the lot, and even had a coroner investigator check it out. But surprise — it wasn’t human skin, just latex.