Teenagers running away, police gathering and a brown blur that appears to be moving: Video from an outdoor mall in Miami fueled wild claims on social media this week that aliens had landed on Earth. But the truth is much more grounded.
On Monday, a group of about 50 teenagers rioted at Bayside Marketplace, an outdoor mall about 5 miles from South Beach, according to the Miami Police Department.
Michael Vega, public information officer for the Miami Police Department, said teenagers were setting off fireworks, which caused a panic as some people assumed there were shots fired. Four teenagers were arrested.
“Police were dispatched to control the crowd due to the teenagers’ refusal to leave,” Vega said in an email to NBC News. “Some businesses were temporarily closed to allow us to clear the area.”
In the days following the incident, users on social media began speculating about what they described as “Miami Mall aliens”. Some suggested that the police were not responding to teenagers but to aliens. Several people reviewed video of the incident circulating online and claimed they could see an alien figure in the grainy footage. Others immediately posted memes.
