The year 2024 began for Florida with a bizarre rumor spreading like wildfire on social media: a 10-foot-tall alien was roaming in a Miami mall, drawing a large police presence. The speculation market erupted after a video of a massive figure strolling outside Bayside Marketplace went viral on social media. The ‘alien’ shadow was surrounded by dozens of police officers and cruisers with their lights flashing in the video.
As soon as the video went viral, speculations and murmurs began to pour in. “I don’t know if the rumors about the aliens at the Miami Mall are real, but I do know I’ve never seen this many police in one place,” a user wrote.
Another X user claimed that ’10ft Aliens/Creatures’ were ‘fired at inside and outside Miami Mall’ in alleged footage.
Some posts claimed that people in the area lost WiFi for several hours, while others claimed that nearby airports were also shut down.
What happened at Miami Mall?
However, Miami police debunked all of these claims on Friday (Jan 5), calling them ‘false.’ The department confirmed in a statement, “There were no aliens, UFOs, or ETs.”
Officer Michael Vega commented on the viral videos, saying, “It’s a shadow of a person walking.” “If there was any creature, myself and other officers would have our handgun, rifle, and shotgun out while we hid behind our cars,” he added.
A large brawl between teenagers on Monday night prompted a large police presence outside the Miami mall. Some of them also set off fireworks inside the mall, leading many people to believe there had been a shooting.
At least four juveniles were later arrested for causing such widespread distress. “The juveniles were causing chaos,” said Vega.