11-year-old inspired by YouTube challenge arrested in abduction hoax, Florida cops say

A dramatic child kidnapping case took an unexpected turn in Florida when deputies realized their only witness — an 11-year-old girl — made up the story as part of a YouTube challenge, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The girl was arrested July 26 at her home in Port Orange, while she was still in the process of texting false leads to 911, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Port Orange is about 60 miles northeast or Orlando.

“The saga began at 9:45 a.m. when a dispatcher at the sheriff’s Communications Center advised of a suspicious incident reported by text message. The girl said her 14-year-old friend had been abducted and she was following in a blue Jeep,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release. “For the next hour and a half, the girl texted updates including a description of the male suspect and that he had a gun.”

The kidnapper was driving a white van south on Interstate 95 in the Oak Hill area, the girl told 911.

A search for the van was launched by multiple law enforcement departments in the area. However, suspicions were aroused when the texting phone was traced “to a home in Port Orange,” rather than a blue Jeep on the interstate, officials said.

“At 10:23 a.m., deputies arrived at the home on Poppy Lane and contacted the girl’s father, who said she was inside with her family,” officials said. “As deputies approached the girl, she was holding her cell phone, which was ringing as she walked out to meet the deputies. When answered, Volusia Sheriff’s Dispatch was on the line and deputies verified they were on scene.”

When confronted, the girl “told deputies she got the idea to prank 911 through a YouTube challenge and thought it ‘would be funny,’” the sheriff’s office said.

The girl was arrested and charged with one felony count of “making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner” and a misdemeanor charge of misuse of 911, officials said.

“She was transported to the Family Resource Center for processing, then transferred to the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center,” the sheriff’s office said.

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced the sheriff’s office will be hosting a series of community forums July 31 through Aug. 29 “to help parents protect their kids from Internet dangers.”

“This kind of prank activity is dangerous,” Chitwood said in the release. “We’re going to investigate every incident but today it wasted valuable resources that might have helped someone else who legitimately needed our help.”

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