Photo: David Wall / Moment / Getty Images
Authorities in Miami responded to reports that an "alien" creature was captured on camera during a riot at Bayside Marketplace. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on New Year's Day when a group of teenagers started fighting and lighting off fireworks at the two-story mall.
That created a massive panic and prompted an even larger police response.
Over 60 police vehicles responded and shut down the area as officers tried to get the crowd under control. They arrested four teenagers who are facing charges of burglary, unoccupied conveyance, grand theft, battery, and resisting an officer without violence. Authorities are still looking for other assailants involved in the riot.
However, the incident went viral after several videos posted online appeared to show the silhouette of an alien creature. One video posted on TikTok by @jackmacbarstool breaks down the video and details other strange occurrences, like thousands of people losing power following the incident.
The video quickly went viral, with 1,200 people commenting and adding their own theories about what the mysterious gray figure was.
However, the Miami Police Department was quick to shut down the rumors about an extraterrestrial visitor at the shopping mall. A spokesperson for the department told TMZ that it wasn't an alien. Instead, it was nothing more than a shadow of a person walking in front of the police cars.
"What is seen in this clip is the shadow of someone walking. If you look at the bottom of the shadow, you can see the person. No creature," the spokesperson explained.