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11-year-old Florida girl arrested after prank-texting 911 to say her friend was kidnapped as part of a YouTube challenge

The 11-year-old texted updates to police for an hour and a half — describing the male suspect and saying he had a gun.

Generic image of police lights. (pixabay)

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – An 11-year-old Florida girl was arrested after falsely texting authorities that her friend was kidnapped by an armed man. She later confessed the prank was part of a YouTube challenge.

The girl texted 911 Wednesday morning to say her friend, 14, was abducted by “an armed male driving a white van on South I-95 in Oak Hill,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The girl said she was following the van in a blue Jeep. NBC News is not identifying the 11-year-old because she is a minor.

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A dispatcher to the sheriff’s communication advised the sheriff’s office at 9:45 a.m. of a “suspicious incident reported by text message.”

The 11-year-old then texted updates for the next hour and a half — describing the male suspect and saying he had a gun.

Read the full report from NBC News.


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